While this book was an easy read that easily and accurately told the story of Booker T. Washington, I was not the biggest fan. Though it is very informative and even comes with a list of unfamiliar vocabulary words in the back, I just thought it was a little out dated. While it was written in 1968 and could use some better illustrations, there is still something to be appreciated by the writing and illustrations of that point in time. I also learned that Booker T. Washington worked in the coal mines of West Virginia for a brief period in time, I am from West Virginia, so I found that to be an interesting and relatable fact. An updated version of this big would bode well with young children. ( )

I really enjoyed reading this book because the illustrations and writing was well put together. Although this is a chapter the book, it included small illustrations to show Booker T. Washington's developing into an adult. I think that it's interesting that the illustrations are sketches that only used black and red shading. The lack of color really made me pay attention to the detail in the sketches, which I really liked. The author wrote about Booker T. Washington in a very engaging manner. He used many descriptive words and told many feelings of Booker T. Washington which made the biography of his life clear. For example, "As it grew dark, he came to a low wooden bridge. Tired and hungry, he crawled under the bridge. The last thing he heard as he fell asleep was the noise of people walking on the wooden bridge over his head." These descriptive words really made me imagine Booker T. Washington's experience.
Overall, this book is about Booker T. Washington's life experience of being a slave but turning into a teacher and great role model for others to look up to. ( )