The Drinking Gourd

 The Drinking Gourd

by F.N. Monjo

illustrated by Fred Brenner

My kids had to read this book in elementary school around this time of year (for Black History month). It's an easy reader about a rambunctious boy named Tommy who learns that his father is part of the underground railroad. He ends up helping a slave family on their way to freedom. It's called the "Drinking Gourd" because that was a name for the Big Dipper constellation that held the North star, a guide the slaves could follow in their travels.