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Freedom to Read (The Story of Teacher Mary Peake and One Mighty Oak Tree)
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$19.99
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Product Details
Author:
Lesa Cline-Ransome, James E. Ransome
Format:
Hardcover
Pages:
48
Publisher:
A Paula Wiseman Book/Beach Lane Books (August 25, 2026)
Imprint:
A Paula Wiseman Book/Beach Lane Books
Language:
English
Audience:
Children/juvenile
Age Range:
4 to 8
Grade Level:
Preschool to 3rd Grade
ISBN-13:
9781534463509
ISBN-10:
153446350X
Weight:
17.04oz
Dimensions:
9" x 11" x 0.4"
File:
Eloquence-SimonSchuster_10032026_P10711953_onix30_Complete-20261003.xml
List Price:
$19.99
Pub Discount:
65
Case Pack:
30
As low as:
$15.39
Publisher Identifier:
P-SS
Discount Code:
A
Folder:
Eloquence
Overview
Three starred reviews!
“A thoughtful double portrait that reaches forward and back.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
From Newbery Honor author Lesa Cline-Ransome and ALA Children’s Literature Legacy Award recipient James Ransome, this “important picture book biography” (School Library Journal, starred review) tells the story of Mary Peake, a courageous teacher who started a secret school for Black children.
So many found sanctuary in Mary’s secret schoolhouse. They found freedom in letters. In Mary’s teaching, they found a refuge.
Mary Peake was born free in 1823 in Norfolk, Virginia, and from a young age she hungered for learning. Mary attended a colored school in her youth, but when Virginia lawmakers outlawed education for colored students, both enslaved and free, the schools had to close their doors. Mary wanted nothing more than to share the gift of education, so she opened up her home as a secret school, risking punishment in order to teach.
When the Civil War broke out, Mary and her community found refuge in a Union camp, and Mary set up a new schoolhouse under the branches of a proud oak tree. Shoulder to shoulder, students of all ages gathered to hear Mary teach.
Mary’s crusade for education became a model for one of the first historically black colleges, Hampton University. Her story is a celebration of one woman’s sacrifices for the freedom to read.
“A thoughtful double portrait that reaches forward and back.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
From Newbery Honor author Lesa Cline-Ransome and ALA Children’s Literature Legacy Award recipient James Ransome, this “important picture book biography” (School Library Journal, starred review) tells the story of Mary Peake, a courageous teacher who started a secret school for Black children.
So many found sanctuary in Mary’s secret schoolhouse. They found freedom in letters. In Mary’s teaching, they found a refuge.
Mary Peake was born free in 1823 in Norfolk, Virginia, and from a young age she hungered for learning. Mary attended a colored school in her youth, but when Virginia lawmakers outlawed education for colored students, both enslaved and free, the schools had to close their doors. Mary wanted nothing more than to share the gift of education, so she opened up her home as a secret school, risking punishment in order to teach.
When the Civil War broke out, Mary and her community found refuge in a Union camp, and Mary set up a new schoolhouse under the branches of a proud oak tree. Shoulder to shoulder, students of all ages gathered to hear Mary teach.
Mary’s crusade for education became a model for one of the first historically black colleges, Hampton University. Her story is a celebration of one woman’s sacrifices for the freedom to read.
