Freedom on the Sea

“This picture-book retelling of his courageous escape from slavery is particularly good for a young audience. The story is presented with a sense of drama while filling in background information for kids. Blue hues subtly enhance the shades of brown in Collier’s illustrations. Using deep, contrasting colors and subtle textures, the striking paintings are particularly effective in the dimly lit scenes indoors and on the water at night. A handsome, historical picture book.”–Booklist, starred review

“A genuine account of an enslaved person daringly achieving a better life. Highly recommended for elementary school libraries.”–School Library Journal, starred review“ Moore’s text delivers the right amount of explanation while recounting this incredible true story, first providing concise background information about Smalls to understand his sailing skills and protective motivations before focusing on the highly perilous moments of the escape…Collier’s exceptional illustrations achieve a moving three-dimensionality, with an appearance of collaged mixed-media methods that combine meticulous colored pencil drawings, expressive oil paints, and layered cut paper within a high-contrast color palette of bright blues and warm orangey browns.”–The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, starred review

“[Moore] deftly retells this historical story, heightening the suspense and emphasizing Smalls’ tenacity, while Collier’s rich collage illustrations set the scene. Images of silhouetted faces in the sky make clear that the next generations of Black children are watching and waiting; freedom will make their existence possible…A moving tale of triumph that brings the past to life.” –Kirkus, starred review“Beginning with Smalls’s arrival from Beaufort to Charleston, South Carolina as an enslaved 12-year-old, engrossing text focuses on the figure’s skill with boats, his close-knit family’s life together, and the troubling truth that “being enslaved meant that any one of them could be sold away at any time.” Atmospheric collage-style imagery from Collier (Maya’s Song) transports readers to the time period as Smalls becomes a wheelman on a side-wheel steamer, the Planter, and, after the Civil War’s start, seeks liberation for his family.“–Publisher’s Weekly

Michael Boulware Moore is the Democratic candidate for Congress in South Carolina’s first district running for the seat his great-great-grandfather once held. Moore is well known as a profound businessman, and Freedom on the Sea is his first children’s book.

Bryan Collier is the Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Award winner of numerous children’s books, including Rosa and Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. When he’s not painting, he spends his time visiting schools and encouraging young artists and readers. Collier lives in New York with his wife and daughters.