Love Twelve Miles Long by Glenda Armand

Frederick waits anxiously for his mother to visit from another plantation where she lives. Each time she visits she recounts the 12 miles journey she has endured to visit him.

"The seventh mile is for singing!" Frederick said. "What do you sing, Mama? Sad songs or happy ones?"

Frederick's mother dreams of the day when they will own their own land, work their own land, and not be owned by anyone. She dreams of the day Frederick will do big and important things. Frederick's mother did not live to see the important things Douglas did after he changed his name from Bailey to Douglas. A different look at the lives of slaves prior to the Emancipation Proclamation and a tender look at the relationship between family members that were forced to endure separation during this time.

Text: 4 Buckeye leaves

Illustrations: 4 Buckeye leaves