Introduction
Do you know about Frederick Douglass Day? It is February 14th! He chose that birthday because of the love his mom showed him when he was a boy. This story details what a visit from his mom would have been like. Take a listen!
Today's Book is: Love Twelve Miles Long
Author: Glenda Armand
Illustrator: Colin Bootman
Please purchase the book and support the author! Further your child's education with a great story and think about Supporting a Black Owned Business while you do it!
Black Owned Book Stores to buy from:
www.cntraveler.com/story/black-owned-bookstores
Amazon Link: www.amazon.com/Love-Twelve-Miles-Glenda-Armand/dp/1620142546 All content and associated storybooks is meant for educational and entertainment purposes as stated under the Fair Use Act
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Copyright information
All material is owned by the creators (authors, illustrators, publishers) displayed or mentioned in this video. Reading this storybook was done under the Fair Use of a copyrighted work for entertainment.
Content
Hey, everybody it's, miss.
Jay, I'm so excited to celebrate fredrik douglas day with you.
This book is very special to me, because I grew up down the street from frederick douglass house.
And I grew up knowing about why he chose february 14th for his birthday.
It was because of all of the love that his mom had for him.
This book talks about why and how she loved him so much even through enslavement, I know that you're going to really enjoy this book.
So let's get started.
The book is called love 12 miles long and that's.
Because when frederick douglass was young, he was taken away from his mom and given to another enslaver that enslaver was 12 miles away.
And she would walk to see him, even though they were separated love, 12 miles long written by glenda armand and illustrated by colin bootman love 12 miles long.
This was a special night.
Mama had come to visit and frederick's.
Stomach was full of the sweet ginger cake.
She had brought him as frederick sat on his mama's lap, her warmth, and the sound of her singing filled the candlelight kitchen.
Frederick thought about how happy he had been when he lived with mama and grandmama betsy.
Now he lived far away from them, an old master's house where cook mean old, auntie, kathy took care of him when his mama stopped singing frederick asked as he always did mama, why can't I live with you? I wish you could live with me.
Fredrik mama said, but you know, I can't look after you while I work in the cornfields all day long, can I come visit you as frederick no child is too far away how far he asks 12 miles.
But you walked here, mama, oh it's.
Not far from me.
She said, the way I walk makes the journey shorter.
Tell me how you walk mama, tell me how you make it shorter.
Frederick looked at mama, her eyes reflected the candlelight as she smiled at her son, every mile is special freddie.
Every mile is for something different.
Now.
Kim, frederick's, favorite part, what's, the first smile for mama, he asks that's when I do my, forgetting mama's answer.
What do you forget? I forget how tired I am? And I forget that my back hurts and my feet and my hands ache, I forget that I've worked all day, and I have to be in the fields again at sun up.
And when the forgetting's done, I start remembering that's what the second mile is for what do you remember on the second mile fredrick asked? I remember you frederick? I remember how you like to chase squirrels.
And I remember how you can eat.
I remember how you like to ask questions, fredrik laughed and mama, pulled him closer.
I remember how happy I am that you are my son, she added frederick sat up and stuck out his chest.
I am harriet bailey's son, remember that when on kathy is unkind to you mama said, she looked up as she heard on kathy stern in the loft up above what else do you remember mama fredrick asked, I remember to listen, mama said, is that what the third mile is for don't.
You ask yes, say, mama for listening to the sounds of the night.
What do you hear mama? I hear crickets chirping and owls, hooting and animals wrestling in the trees.
Can you understand them, mama, yes, freddie mama spoke just above a whisper when I listen to the night sounds, what I hear is look up.
Harriet look up looking up that's.
What the fourth mile is for right, mama, frederick said, mama nodded for looking up and seeing the stars, how many stars mama too many to count.
Sometimes I can see them spread out all before me.
Sometimes they even wink at one by one through the treetops.
I look up at the stars.
And I wonder what do you wonder about that's frederick? I spend the fifth mile wondering about god.
This guy that made the stars and the animals and you and me, mama, yes, frederick.
Why did god make us slaves? Oh, god didn't make us slaves.
Frederick we're all god's children.
And a better day is coming.
How do you know fredrik asked? Because I pray she answered you spend the six mile praying right, said, frederick, folding his hands.
I know how to pray, too, mama uncle isaac taught me the lord's, prayer uncle isaac taught me that prayer too when I was a child.
She said, he's, a wise old man.
Born in africa, where is africa frederick asks, oh it's far far away too far to walk.
Yes.
Even for me, mama said, chuckling it's across the wide wide ocean.
How wide is the ocean, oh it's, too wide to measure frenchy.
Are there people free in africa? Oh they're free.
But life is hard still even in africa when you're free, though you don't mind hard work that's.
What I pray for fredrik.
I pray that one day we'll all be free.
And all that praying makes me feel like singing.
The seventh mile is for singing magic song.
What do you say, mama sad, songs are happy ones.
I sing, whatever my heart feels the singing lightens, my soul when the songs be happy or sad.
And when my soul is light, I'm, ready to walk the eighth mile what's, the eighth mile for fredrick ass smiling.
I think about happy things.
And I think about good times what good times mama, oh, like the corn second time when we go from farm to farm helping one another with the harvest, we see which team can shut the faces and build the biggest mountain of corn.
You never saw a pile of corn so high in your life, how high mama too high to measure frederick it's work, but it's also a time for sharing our burden and laughing and joking.
Then after the work is done there's, plenty of eating and plenty of dancing dancing that friedrich did you dance mama.
I sure do corn shucking dance and the buzzard love and the pigeon wing frederick get good at the names.
Well, let's just see you dance.
Mr, mama said, come on I'll show you the pigeon one.
They got up and danced in the candlelit kitchen, mama flapped, her long arms and frederick wiggled, his short ones.
She lifted him up.
Then they held each other close before sitting down frederick knew they were getting close to the last mind, and that mama will be leaving.
So he did not want to ask about the next mile.
He hoped that if they kept dancing, he and he never asked his mama would never leave as mama led him back to their chair.
She said, gently do you know what the ninth mile is for frederick it's for giving.
Thanks right? Mama.
That's, right? I, thank god for giving me life and for being healthy enough to walk here.
I thank god for you.
Frederick.
You give me hope is the 10th mile for hoping yes veteran.
I have great hope for you.
I have hope that one day we'll live together as a family when we're free mama, what will freebie like frederick ass yawning now you're talking about the 11th mile.
The 11th mob is for dreaming.
I dream about being free that we'll have our own land and what work process, but there'll be no slaves or masters.
And no one will own us.
Do you dream about me? Mama, oh, yes.
I dream about your future.
Frederick.
You are very smart.
I know that you won't be a slave, your whole life.
You're gonna do big important things one day.
But right now it's time for you to go to bed, but I'm, not tired, mama frederick said, I know, but mama has to start back mama hugged fredrick once more and walked him to where he slept on the pantry floor.
Frederick lay down on thin cornhusk mattress and mama knelt beside him and cover him with a warm blanket.
Frederick's eyelids were heavy as he asked, mama, what's, the 12th mile for the last mile is the easiest one frenchie.
She bent down to kiss his cheek.
The 12th mile is for love at the time, mama slipped into the moonlit night.
Fredrick was asleep when he woke up early the next morning, frederick ran outside and looked down the road.
He knew mama had walked on through his sadness.
He could still feel mama's present.
He thought about all the things she said to him, mama had told him there were things that he could not count or measure that there were too many stars.
And the ocean was too wide.
And the mountains of corn were too high.
But there was one thing he could measure frederick knew with all his heart that his mama's love was 12 miles long.
This is the afterword.
It tells you a little bit about frederick douglass life and how he actually did fulfill his mother's dream.
He gained his freedom.
And he became a really important person in this world.
That's, why we're celebrating him and honoring him if you're reading this on february, 14 you're reading it on frederick douglass birthday, happy birthday, frederick douglass, the end.