Freedom at Dawn - Perfect Picture Book Friday #PPBF

For this week's #PPBF choice, I have a wonderful debut picture book. A stunning look at a daring and dangerous escape which catapulted a former slave into being a war hero and gave freedom to twelve families and a dedicated five term U.S. Representative to the nation.

Book Cover - escaped slave pilots a boat out of a southern port toward three Union ships, as his daughter watches.

Freedom at Dawn: Robert Smalls's Voyage Out of Slavery

Author: Leah Schanke

Illustrator: Oboh Moses

Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company (April 10, 2025)

Ages: 4-8

Historical Fiction

Themes:

U.S. Civil War, bravery, freedom, slavery, family, and history.

Synopsis:

The true story of one man's brave plan to free his family from slavery

Lizzy Smalls is proud of her papa, Robert, for being the best boat pilot in Charleston Harbor. But the Smalls family is enslaved, and after the outbreak of the Civil War, Robert is forced to put his skills to work for the Confederates. He knows that reaching Union territory means freedom for his family; to get there, he devises a daring plan to steal a boat and sail out of the harbor under cover of night. This thrilling true story shows how one man's courage, careful planning, and calm under pressure helped him navigate the way to a new life.

Opening Lines:

My papa, Robert Smalls, is the best boat pilot in Charleston Harbor.

After only a few months as a deckhand, he was promoted to

wheelman. Everyone knows that means he's the pilot.

But Mama just shakes her head. "Lizzy, you know that no

enslaved man will ever be called a pilot, no matter how good he is

at steering a ship."

What I LOVED about this book:

The opening's wonderful weaving of the illustration, date, flag at the bow of the boat, and text, gently, but firmly places the reader in the confederate state of South Carolina, during the Civil War. The family's meager clothing and bare feet speak volumes, but so does Lizzy's voice, enthusiasm, and obvious affection for her father.

Internal image - a ship - named "Planter" - steams past shore where a small girl stands with her mother and baby brother, waving at her father (the captain)

Text © Leah Schanke, 2025. Image © Oboh Moses, 2025.

Based on a true story, this historical fiction is beautifully told from the daughter, Lizzy's, point of view. Not only is her father, Robert Smalls, an enslaved man and accomplished ship pilot, required to risk his life to help the confederate army, but he lives under the continuous fear that he "could come home any night and find Mama, Baby Robert, and me gone forever" sold on a whim by their owner.

To prevent this separation and gain their freedom, Robert and six crew members plot to gather their families and, using Robert's knowledge of the Fort Sumter's secret whistle code, escape on the Planter to the north. Evading the soldiers and sneaking from one ship to another, the families hide below deck as Robert and the six crewmen pilot the boat past a guard boat and Fort Sumter. I love the richly saturated, deep tones of Oboh Moses' stunning and emotional digital illustrations.

Internal spread - men, women, and children sit below deck on the boat, hoping the men can safely piolt it past the conderate soldier to freedom.

When it seemed their plan had worked, Lizzy ran up on deck. Just as Fort Sumter soldiers spot their boat and order the guard boat to fire. Crouching, preparing for the worst, Lizzy chants to herself, "Be free or die. I will be free or die...." Using Lizzy to tell the story, even though noted in the back matter that she likely remained in the hold for the entire time, Leah Schanke is able to help younger readers fit into the story, to step into and imagine the worries, fears, and desperate dreams of Lizzy and the others on the ship. Oboh Moses gently, but oh so poignantly, captures Lizzy's emotions especially in this solo moment on deck.

Internal spread - on the left, a soldier yelling orders, stands before a Confederate flag, a cannon, and other armed soldiers. On the right, a small girl crouches on deck, covering her ears, waiting for her ship to be hit.

As the tension mounts, both armies threatening to fire on the Planter, Robert Smalls remains calm and determined. Please check out the rest of the story and enjoy pouring over all of the amazing and detailed illustrations. Back matter includes a discussion on the civil war and the life of Robert Smalls, a war hero and five-term U.S. House Representative. This is a wonderful historical fiction picture book.

Resources:

make a cardboard ship, a box steamer, or any of the other 18 boats.
learn about international signal flags. Now, create your own secret code using these maritime flags.

In the book, Fort Sumter required a special whistle code - 2 long (Whooooo) and 1 short (Whoo) whistle - to go past the fort and Robert Smalls gave 2 short whistles to salute the guard boat. What whistle code would you create for the fort?

If you missed my interview with Leah Schanke on Monday, find it (here).

This post is part of a series of blog posts by authors and KidLit bloggers called Perfect Picture Book Fridays. For more picture book suggestions and resources see Susanna Leonard Hill's Perfect Picture Books.