Freedom Over Me, written and illustrated by Ashley Bryan
         In this book, Coretta Scott King Award-winner Ashley Bryan has taken the records from an estate that owned slaves in the 1800s and has given a voice to eleven slaves from the records. She has beautifully illustrated what each of them may have looked at. In free verse poems, she writes a short biography and their dreams for their lives. My favorite person that she brought to life is Athelia, a 42-year-old woman who was sold for $175. Athelia works with the laundry and helps the men during harvest time. However, she enjoys the company of a young slave girl named Dora. Dora's presence helps Athelia not focus on the hardship of her slavery. Having this private life that the masters do not know or understand allows Athelia to enjoy a small taste of freedom that she calls "our precious secret." Athelia dreams to be free and that her African heritage may continue to inspire her and the slaves around her.
        This book would be most appropriate for second through fifth graders. Even though this is a picture book, the stories and illustrations work together to make the content relevant for older elementary students. Since Bryan created these beautiful stories based on the records from a nineteenth-century estate, it would be an interesting activity for students to complete an activity with a similar process. Students could gather information from their history books and other non-fiction resources to create works of historical fiction that bring historical events and time periods to life. Additionally, students could each choose one of the slaves from this book to read and then present it to the class or to small groups as a discussion. No matter how this book is used in classrooms, it has the great potential to develop conversations, understanding, and empathy for the students and teachers.