(3) K-3 Illustrated by Terry Widener. Illustrated with handsome acrylic paintings, this is an affecting story of a mixed-race enslaved boy (explicitly revealed as Thomas Jefferson's son at story's end) who wonders how his father can also be his master. Winter's excellent, detailed author's note states this first-person picture book is "historical fiction" based on research and limited primary-source documentation; it also delves into contradictions in Jefferson's legacy and American history.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(1) 4-6 William Beverly Hemings and his siblings are slaves; they’re also Thomas Jefferson’s children. Granted freedom at twenty-one, light-skinned Beverly leaves Monticello with plans to pass for white. But cultural differences complicate every aspect of his new life. The voices of the Hemings children give readers a perspective not found in history textbooks. An informative author’s note completes this eye-opening and powerful novel.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2012

(2) 4-6 Photographs by Jane Feldman. The discovery of DNA evidence linking Jefferson to the children of his slave Sally Hemings had varying effects on those claiming to be his descendants. Designed as a series of personal statements based on interviews by the authors, the book is a gathering of impressions, with observations ranging from delight to disbelief. The handsomely designed book provides an engrossing examination. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2001