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.

"Cline-Ransome tells the intertwined stories of the oak and of Peake through powerful modified chain verse.... Ransome’s elegant, stately pencil and watercolor illustrations, in a rich palette of greens and golds, convey dignity and pride.... This inspiring narrative relates an important and often untold aspect of American history as it pertains to the chattel enslavement of Africans: that enslaved people resisted their subjugation in a multitude of ways, including through education. " - Sept/Oct 2026 Issue

"With practiced precision, the Cline-Ransomes merge the story of Mary Peake and the Emancipation Oak tree with gorgeous watercolor pages that shine golden and brim with movement. This biography should be part of every elementary school's curriculum." - 8/5/26

"An important picture book biography about an unsung figure in Black history.... A recommended purchase, offering accessible prose for younger readers and strong social studies connections for older ones." - 7/1/26

"A child and a tree mature to reveal an interconnected legacy... Spotlighting a living historical landmark and a pioneering teacher, it’s a thoughtful double portrait that reaches forward and back. " - 5/15/26