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Words from Deborah Hopkinson

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These words were written by the author Deborah Hopkinson at my request in January 1999.

I wrote Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt in 1989, after hearing a piece on National Public Radio on escape routes being sewn into quilts. But at that time, neither James Ransome nor I could find any written documentation for this piece of oral history, so the quilt in Sweet Clara is truly imaginative on his part. (Now there is a new book out, Hidden in Plain View: The Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad, which seems to substantiate that quilts were in fact, used in this way.)

I read a number of underground railroad accounts, including Levi Coffin's reminiscences, but to me the most interesting aspect of the research was undertaken by James. He used this book to trace his own family history, and the result can be seen on the title page of Sweet Clara, which is painted from a photograph he took of Verona plantation, where he found that his ancestors were enslaved to a man named Matt Ransom. You will see that Verona is also mentioned in the text.

For the book, James also researched the slave quarters at Carters Grove in Colonial Williamsburg. I have also been there, and love to show children in classrooms a photograph of a hearth, then Aunt Rachel standing by what looks like the same hearth!

Children immediately "get" the visual language of Sweet Clara when we review the book with slides. We talk about how the artist gives hints right on the cover of the role of the quilt, and how he uses yellow throughout as a color of hope, and also to convey the hot summer sun and heat. James' work is rich in these details- we see a yellow sky, yellow wallpaper, a shining moon, and in the end, a warm yellow candle illuminating Clara's quilt which has been left behind.

James and I are collaborating on another picture book entitled Under the Quilt of Night, which will be out in a couple of years. Last fall when I taught children's literature at Whitman College where I work, my students and I had the privilege of connecting with James via videoconferencing and seeing his early research and sketching process for this book. Whether it is the fall, autumnal theme for Uncle Jed's Barbershop, or the careful design of The Creation, James Ransome's work is outstanding for its integrity, thoroughness of research, and a richness of detail. I feel privileged to have worked with this artist.

Consider the illustration again?

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