Unspoken

Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad
Written by Henry Cole
2012

This wordless story tells of a young girl that discovers a runaway slave hiding on her family's property. She begins to sneak food to take to the runaway, who has taken up residence in the family's barn. When the family learns of a reward being offered for an escaped slave, the girl struggles with what to do...should she do what is expected by her family, or should she instead follow her heart.
 

Each time that I looked at the pages, I discovered new details hidden in the illustrations that helped to further deepen my understanding of the story. The graphite illustrations hold so much detail, that there is no need for words to tell the story. This book would be a great way to discuss the Underground Railroad with younger students, but it could also ignite some deeper conversations and understanding by older students and even young adults.