Most Loved in All the World

( 3 )

All Available Formats + Editions

——

$9.86

NOOK Book

——

$9.86

Most Loved in All the World (eBook) Pub. Date: 1/12/2009 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
$0.01

$15.30

Hardcover

$0.01

$15.30

Most Loved in All the World (Library Binding - None) Pub. Date: 1/12/2009 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Customers Who Bought This Also Bought

Advertising

Overview

An authentic and powerful account of slavery and how a handmade quilt helps a little girl leave home for freedom.

With a poet's keen ear, Tonya Hegamin tells the account of a little girl whose mother is a secret agent on the Underground Railroad. Before sending her daughter north to freedom, the mother sews a quilt for her daughter, not only to guide her with its symbols of moss and the north star, but also to remind her always that the smiling girl in the center of the quilt is "most loved in all the world." Strikingly illustrated in unique textile collaging and expressive acrylic paintings.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Hegamin (M+0 4EVR) tackles difficult concepts of slavery, courage and sacrifice in a poignant book about a mother who sends her daughter on the Underground Railroad, armed with a quilt she has made for her; the mother, identifying herself as an "agent," stays behind to help other slaves escape. The quilt's centerpiece depicts a smiling girl: the mother wants her daughter to remember always that she is "the most loved in all the world." The story of slaves finding their way to freedom via directions disguised in patchwork (whether or not this happened is still debated, the author explains in an endnote) is made freshly dramatic by Hegamin's focus on the separation of mother and child. Cabrera's (Beauty, Her Basket) broad sweeping paintings-filled with shadowy images, occasionally bordering on the abstract, with some pages merely washes of color-add a deeper note of somberness to the spare text, told in a child's voice. The narrator's report that "when Mama come home/ she have whip marks 'cross her back" and "tear marks down her face" may call for explanation, but young readers will share her shock at her mother's final action and sympathize with her grief. Ages 4-8. (Jan.)

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6

A slave mother creates a quilt to guide and comfort her young daughter, whom she is sending to freedom along the Underground Railroad. In a straightforward, heartfelt story written in dialect, Hegamin shows that a woman can love her child dearly yet still give her up, in the youngster's best interest. An author's note explains that debates over the authenticity of quilts used as maps continue; Hegamin states that she used the quilt as a symbol and story device. The artwork matches the tone of the story well, featuring dark images interspersed with quilted blocks that bring brightness to the primitive-style paintings. Patchwork endpapers that incorporate recognizable quilt blocks add to the homespun feel of the story. Paired with Deborah Hopkinson's Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt (Knopf, 2003), this book would be a useful discussion point for supplementing Underground Railroad units.-Angela J. Reynolds, Annapolis Valley Regional Library, Bridgetown, NS, Canada

More Reviews (1) Fewer Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

Spare language and vibrant art present a powerful message of hope during American slavery, through a mother's sacrifice and her gift of freedom. From her young daughter's perspective, readers learn of the brutal labor and punishment her mother endures. While the child witnesses slavery's atrocities during the day, her mother returns each evening to sew a quilt. She explains that each square symbolizes the road out of bondage; the central patch depicts a little girl who is "the most loved in all the world." Mixed-media illustrations capture the mother's urgency as she leads her daughter to the Underground Railroad, her red kerchief the dominant detail against the dark night sky. While the mother returns to her life in slavery alone, a golden lantern shines against the vast imposing background. Cabrera's rich acrylic paintings and textile collage add immediacy to the gripping text. An unflinching depiction of slavery's impact on families, this selection's reassuring message of love shatters all bonds. (author's note, further resources) (Picture book. 6-9)

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780618419036
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date: 1/12/2009
Format: Library Binding
Edition description: None
Pages: 40
Sales rank: 848,092
Age range: 4 - 8 Years
Lexile: AD530L (what's this?)
Product dimensions: 11.20 (w) x 9.10 (h) x 0.40 (d)

Meet the Author

Tonya Cherie Hegamin decided that she would be a writer when she was eight years old. Between then and now, she has also been a social worker, an educator, a vintage clothing vendor, a vegan soul food caterer, and the program director of a poetry retreat. Tonya is a graduate of Cave Canem and a native of Pennsylvania.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5

( 3 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(2)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(1)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines

Tell the world what you think of this product.

Add Recommendations

Your Name: Create a Pen Name or Leave Anonymously

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

- HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
- Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
- Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
- Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
- Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
- Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
- Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

- By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
- Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
- See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.

shellytST

Posted March 31, 2010

Hegamin takes the troubling topic of slavery and shines the tender light of hope upon it. The vivid illustrations, a mix of paintings and textile in the shape of quilt squares, are sure to capture the attention of the book's young readers.

This book tells the story of a little slave girl who watches the pain and anguish her mother endures as a result of slavery. She sees the horrors the slaves go through every day, and yet she finds joy in the quilt blocks that her mother is making. As her mother sews, she tells the little girl the story of each block. A log cabin is for safety. The brightest star is for you to follow. The slave girl's favorite quilt block is the one of the little girl who is the most loved in all the world. The mother is making this quilt to help those who are escaping on the Underground Railroad. The mother does not leave slavery on the Underground Railroad, but makes a choice to stay in slavery and help others escape. The story is written appropriately for young children and is a good discussion starter about slavery. The beautiful pictures illustrate the story superbly. The paintings and textiles together bring life to the little slave girl and the quilt that her mother is making.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted November 28, 2009

No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous

Posted January 24, 2012

No text was provided for this review.

If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble