This poignantly touching story is about a young girl who discovers a runaway slave and shows courage and humanity by bringing food to him or her. Detailed graphite drawings on cream colored paper sometimes cover the pages from edge to edge, and sometimes are framed with a pastel blue box, leaving an inch border all around. This draws the reader into the story in some parts, and allows him or her to be an outsider looking in during others. Extreme close ups, along with wide panoramas, create a mood that is sometimes heartbreaking, but hopeful overall.
The author's note at the end of the story concludes with the following: "I wanted to make this a wordless book. The two main characters in the story are both brave, have a strong bond, and communicate with great depth. Yet, both are silent. They speak without words. Because I made only the pictures, I'm hoping you will write the words and make this story your own - filling in all that has been unspoken."
This book was honored by the International Youth Library in their 2013 White Ravens catalog.
Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad by Henry Cole. United States of America: Scholastic Press, 2012. [9780545399975]
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