As author Jacqueline Woodson traces her family history from the times of slavery to today, she celebrates the resilience of each successive generation as embodied by a woman or girl who courageously strived for more—for herself, her family, and her people. Each woman or girl is known by her spirit and accomplishments if not always by her name. Connecting each generation in Woodson’s stirring, beautifully written narrative are the sewing skills that were passed down from mother to daughter, along with their stories and the quilt that had mapped the way to freedom: patches and stitches forming the pattern that showed the way. Woodson’s moving tribute to past, present, and future is sewn from the stitches she creates with words, carrying on the tradition in her own way. This moving and uplifting picture book features stunning illustrations by Hudson Talbott that integrate quilt motifs with other images from African American history. (Ages 5–9)

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.