Harriet Tubman: A Woman of Courage    by Time For Kids Order:  USA  Can HarperCollins, 2005 (2005) Hardcover, Softcover Read an Excerpt      Reviewed by J. A. Kaszuba Locke Time For Kids® continues to publish historical biographies geared to youngsters. This one is on the life of Harriet Tubman, 'A Woman of Courage'. Slave traders brought Harriet's grandparents to the States from West Africa. It followed that her parents, Harriet Green and Benjamin Ross, were born into slavery along with Harriet and her siblings. Tubman was born around 1820 in Maryland. Named Araminta, she used her mother's name. Life was hard working in the plantation fields of corn, potatoes, and tobacco, and there were beatings from the owners and overseers. When she took a stand for another slave, Harriet was hit in the head by an overseer, crushing part of her skull. This caused spells of loss of consciousness throughout her life. In her twenties, Harriet married John Tubman, a free African American, but the law stated she was still a slave. Through the Underground Railroad and its established safe houses, Tubman fled Maryland, walking one hundred miles to freedom in Pennsylvania. She later returned to Maryland to assist in the escape of her family and hundreds of other slaves. By the time of her death at the age of 93, Harriet had gained fame and respect as an American, who served as a spy and a scout in the Civil War. The text of Tubman's struggle is enhanced by photographs, sidebars of notations, and Fast Facts. A roadside plaque, issued by the Maryland Civil War Centennial Commission, stands as a tribute to Harriet Tubman, who was referred to as 'The Moses of Her People'. Tubman at one time stated, 'I had reasoned this out in my mind. There was one of two things I had a right to -liberty or death. If I could not have one, I would have the other.' This Time For Kids® volume on Harriet Tubman is compact, containing information for youngsters to use as a reference, and building a foundation to encourage reading other publications about this great American woman. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews