Lesa Cline-Ransome has become a powerhouse in picture book biography, with more than a dozen biographies introducing young readers to important figures in Black history, sports, music, science, and the arts.
In Freedom to Read: The Story of Teacher Mary Peake and One Mighty Oak Tree, she turns her attention to Mary Peake, a remarkable educator whose determination to teach Black students helped shape the future of education in America.
AUTHOR: Lisa Cline Ransome
ILLUSTRATOR: James E. Ransome
GENRE: picture book biography, picture book for older readers
SETTING: 1823; Hampton University, Norfolk, Virginia, USA
THEMES: prejudice, racism, teachers, secret schools, slavery, civil rights, books, reading, US history, Black History Month, Women's History Month, human rights, US Civil War, HBCUs, importance of literacy, right to education
PROTAGONIST: female teacher, African American born free in 1823
RECOMMENDED FOR: Grades 1-7
STARRED REVIEWS: Publishers Weekly, SLJ, Hornbook, and Booklist
PUBLICATION DATE: August 25, 2026
Born free in Virginia in 1823, Mary Peake loved learning and excelled in school. But when Virginia outlawed education for Black people—both enslaved and free—Mary refused to accept that literacy should be denied to her community.
She began teaching secretly in her own home, risking punishment simply for helping others learn to read and write.
When the Civil War brought people escaping slavery to Fort Monroe, Mary became a teacher in the newly established refugee camp. Eventually, her students gathered beneath the enormous oak tree that would become known as the Emancipation Oak.
Cline-Ransome cleverly intertwines Mary’s life with the life of the tree itself. The oak later became the site of one of the South’s first public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation and still stands today on the campus of Hampton University, one of the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities.
James Ransome’s watercolor-and-pencil illustrations make this historical story feel immediate and alive. Rich greens, golds, blues, and browns fill the pages, while the growing oak provides a beautiful visual parallel to Mary’s expanding influence.
With three starred reviews, Freedom to Read is an outstanding choice for elementary libraries. It offers natural connections to Black history, the Civil War, HBCUs, literacy, education, and the long struggle for equal access to learning.
Most importantly, Mary Peake’s story demonstrates something librarians understand deeply: the freedom to read is powerful—and it’s worth fighting for.
