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The extraordinary story of Harriet Tubman’s life, leadership, spirituality, and relationship with nature, told through powerful poetry and collage.
Harriet Tubman, Force of Nature celebrates the life of the hero of the Underground Railroad with the power of hip-hop-style rhythm and rhyme accompanied by luminous, rough-edged collage.
When Harriet Tubman was born enslaved in Dorchester County, Maryland, in 1822, nobody knew this tiny Black girl-child would be so rooted in the natural world. Nobody knew she would find her way by the stars or move through the woods as silently as an owl or hear God speaking to her in trances. Nobody knew that, against all odds, she would use her oneness with the environment and spirit to escape the brutality that was slavery, rescue hundreds of others from the same fate, embrace the joys of freedom, and become a national hero.
Nobody knew she would become a force of nature.
With compelling poetry perfect for reading aloud and luminous collage illustrations, Caroline Brewer brings readers of all ages the story of Harriet Tubman in a way it has never been told before.
Includes glossary, index, source notes, and map.
“A picture book biography, beautifully told in rhythmic poetry… Engaging and informative, these compassionate poems will resonate with readers, and together with the exquisitely crafted illustrations, will bring the important story of Harriet Tubman to life. Highly recommended for all school and public libraries." - School Library Journal (starred review)
"A tour de force among poetic biographies." - Booklist (starred review)
"Harriet's story is told via wrenching, earthy poems... complemented by eye-catching collage illustrations." - Foreword Reviews
"Brewer's vivid poems and richly textured collage illustrations plumb Tubman's deep connection to nature." - Washington Parent
"Elegantly crafted biography... elevates points of quiet, everyday beauty, creating a distinct sense of intimacy to a larger-than-life figure... the unique collage art creates a riveting visual." - The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Selected as one of the School Library Journal's Best Poetry Books of 2025
Selected as one of the NCTE Notable Children's Poetry Books 2026 - National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
"A lyrical love letter to America's favorite heroine and her oneness with the natural world for the youth & the young at heart who love Tubman and are inspired by her." - Edda L. Fields-Black, Author of COMBEE: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid and Black Freedom during the Civil War, winner of the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in History
Selected for the Reading Rockets Gift Guide 2025
School Library Journal’s 28 Nonfiction Gems Celebrating Black History.
Selected for Betsy Bird's School Library Journey 2025 Unique Biographies for Kids list
Selected as a 2026 Capitol Choices Noteworthy Book for Children and Teens
Shortlisted for 2025 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards - Juvenile Nonfiction
Selected as a Bank Street's Best Children's Books of the Year