Winner of a Newbery Honor!

Soonie's great-grandma was just seven years old when she was sold to a big plantation without her ma and pa, and with only some fabric and needles to call her own. She pieced together bright patches with names like North Star and Crossroads, patches with secret meanings made into quilts called Show Ways -- maps for slaves to follow to freedom. When she grew up and had a little girl, she passed on this knowledge. And generations later, Soonie -- who was born free -- taught her own daughter how to sew beautiful quilts to be sold at market and how to read.

From slavery to freedom, through segregation, freedom marches and the fight for literacy, the tradition they called Show Way has been passed down by the women in Jacqueline Woodson's family as a way to remember the past and celebrate the possibilities of the future. Beautifully rendered in Hudson Talbott's luminous art, this moving, lyrical account pays tribute to women whose strength and knowledge illuminate their daughters' lives.

This book is the winner of numerous awards. It was recognised in the Picture Book category by the Young Hoosier Book Award. It was recognised in the Picture Book category by the Georgia Children's Book Award. It also was recognised in the Grades 3-5 category by the Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award. It was recognised in the Picture Book category by the Beehive Award. Also it was recognised by the South Carolina Childrens Junior and Young Adult Book Award. It was recognised in the Grades K-3 category by the Volunteer State Book Award. It was recognised in the Picture Book category by the North Carolina Children's Book Award. It was recognised in the Grades 3-6 category by the Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award. It was recognised in the Ages 7-10 Years category by the Capitol Choices Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens. It was recognised by the Newbery Award. The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

There are 48 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 2019 by Putnam Publishing Group, U. S. .

Jacqueline Woodson was born in Ohio and grew up in South Carolina. She has written several books for teenagers and recently won the Coretta Scott King Award which honours African-American writers of outstanding books for children. She has received two American Library Association Awards, and the Kenyon Review Award for Literary Excellence in Fiction for Autobiography Of A Family Photo, published by Penguin US. Jacqueline now lives in Brooklyn, New York.