I purchased this book for a child, but what struck me as I read it was the brilliant symbolism that could connect to our social studies curriculum in middle school. For me, it was a flash of realization like the light the rat saw as Gregory the jailor lit the match with the nail of his thumb.
Even though, for Roscuro the rat, the flame was extinguished in a second, the light continued to dance inside him. The idea was born that "light was the only thing that gave life meaning." Once he had seen it, nothing was ever the same again. No longer was he content to be confined to the darkness of the dungeon. He was willing to brave anything to find the light. There are other threads and other lessons as well in this story. All one has to do is look for them.
As a curriculum specialist, I am recommending that teachers in our district use this wonderful book with all of its symbolism about light and darkness and people being kept "in their place" to connect literature to the issues of slavery and human rights in social studies. The glimmer of light, the hope of freedom -- and all is changed forever!
I highly recommend the book for middle school language arts and social studies as a collaborative piece.
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