A Slave Family

Anne Hutchings, a former elementary-school teacher-librarian with the
Durham Board of Education, is an educational consultant.

This latest volume in the Colonial People series is attractive, well
organized, and definitely appealing to young readers.

The easy-to-follow format, complete with a table of contents, features
information presented in discrete paragraphs with bold headings. The
text is supplemented with numerous full-colour, captioned photographs
and illustrations. Topics covered include a history of slavery in the
United States, regional differences, relationships and interactions
between members of a slave family, and the daily life and activities of
a slave in the American colonies. Traditional African music, folklore,
arts, food, customs, and beliefs are examined. (For example, babies were
often named according to the day of the week on which they were born. A
girl born on Monday was called Juba, while a boy whose birth occurred on
Friday was named Cuffee.) Mini-biographies of accomplished slaves such
as Phyllis Wheatley, the first African-American poet, and Newport
Gardner of Rhode Island, who opened a music school for slaves and
non-slaves alike, add interest.

Kalman and Bishop begin the book with a story about Quasheba, a
fictional slave girl. At the end of the book, the authors challenge the
reader to use the knowledge he or she has gleaned from the book to
finish the story. A useful glossary and index are included.

The obvious American focus to A Slave Family limits its usefulness in
Canadian settings to some extent. However, enough general
information’s presented to warrant its purchase as a supplementary
resource for school- and public-library collections. Recommended with
reservations.