Freedom in Congo Square

Book — Non-fiction. By Carole Boston Weatherford. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. 2016. 40 pages.
Introduces children to the brutality of slavery and the role of culture in resistance.

Time Periods: 18th Century, 19th Century

Themes: African American, Slavery and Resistance

Freedom in Congo Square introduces children to the brutality of slavery and the role of culture in resistance.

The award-winning team of author Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrator R. Gregory Christie describes the life of those enslaved on a plantation, using the days of the week to introduce types of labor, punishments, escapes, religion, and more. Exuberance fills the pages for Sundays when people held in slavery are allowed to gather in Congo Square to rest for a half day, exchange news, play music, and experience “freedom’s heart.”

One critique, and something that can be addressed in a read-aloud, is that “slaves” is used throughout, instead of “enslaved Africans” or “enslaved people”. [Description from Rethinking Schools.]

ISBN: 9781499801033 | Little Bee Books