THE ESCAPE OF ROBERT SMALLS: A Daring Voyage Out of Slavery written by Jehan Jones-Radgowski and illustrated by Poppy Kang traces the courageous flight of slave Robert Smalls as he pilots a boat out of Charleston Harbor during the Civil War and heads toward a Union blockade some ten miles away.
Born into slavery on April 5, 1839 Smalls was sent by his owner to the docks of Charleston Harbor to find a job when he was a youngster. By 1861 he was hired as a crew member onboard the Planter, a small munitions supply boat. He quickly learned how to handle the lines, tie knots and understand the ship’s routes. Promoted to wheelman he became expert at steering the steamboat.
Having planned a daring escape along with a handful of other slaves, Smalls and his crew went into action when the Planter’s Captain left the boat in Small’s charge the evening of May 12, 1862. The night was quiet when Smalls started the engines and pulled the Captain’s straw hat down over his eyes----making him look very much like the Captain himself!
The illustrations done in rich dark blue colors blanket the pages of this dangerous trip with heart thumping silence and fog as Smalls pilots the boat successfully passed Fort Johnson, a Confederate guard boat and the highly fortified Fort Sumter.
The back materials include an Afterword that touches on Smalls’ life as well as the Civil War itself. When Smalls became a “free man” he joined the Union Navy and eventually became the first black captain of a U.S. military ship.
THE ESCAPE OF ROBERT SMALLS: A Daring Voyage Out of Slavery written by Jehan Jones-Radgowski and illustrated by Poppy Kang is a well-presented true story for readers 6-9 years of age (Capstone, 2019).
Creative activities and questions for the Escape of Robert Smalls: A Daring Voyage Out of Slavery
In this story we hear how Robert Smalls tricks most everyone into thinking the Planter’s Captain is at the wheel of the steamship. How does Smalls disguise himself? How does the weather help Smalls get passed Fort Johnson? How do the whistle codes help Smalls get passed Ft. Sumter? How does he alert the Union boats in the blockade that his boat, the Planter, is running away from the Confederacy?
Disguises can also be used for happy times. Have you ever disguised yourself? Think about Halloween. How did you dress up to disguise yourself? Was your disguise successful? Draw a picture of yourself in your costume. Have fun!
Go to the Glossary at the back of the book and find 13 words used in this story, their meaning and a key to their pronunciation. Speak them each aloud several times. Is there any word here that is new to you? Now play a game of I Spy and locate each of them within the story?
