Lift Your Light a Little Higher: The Story of Stephen Bishop: Slave-Explorer

I cant wait until teal school starts again! I cant wait to share this with my kids!!!!! How scary to just be a slave and then told you have to explore Monmoth Cave in Kentucky! The master wasnted to sell tickets! So this man had to discover it by himself with a lantern and bats!. So he made a map and taught himself how to read from the tourists that wrote their name on the wall! This is a kids book but when I think about it, it is like a horror movie, but true!

I loved it! A wonderful introduction to Stephen Bishop and his fascinating life. I did not know about this aspect of Mammoth Cave, and am looking forward to now taking my son so we can appreciate the history of the cave and the guides. Well written, beautifully illustrated and the Author's notes in the back give you even more historical information about Stephen's life and Mammoth Cave.

Excellent book, I read it to my class for Black History Month and both my students and the adult aides LOVED it!!

Stephen Bishop is a man whose name I've heard all my life, being from Kentucky, and having spent many happy hours in Mammoth Cave. I heard that a book about him had finally been written and I was thrilled. Somehow I missed the part about it being a child's story. But even so, it misses the mark. The illustrations are beautiful. However, I left the book with not one bit of information about Mr. Bishop. What a pity that a man as interesting and intelligent as he was got a few words about a slave in a cave. One of the other reviewers thrilled over the lyrical tone of the book. I would have settled for information. Or a story. Stephen Bishop deserves so much more.

My daughter loves all the books written by Heather Hensen, and this one is no different.

I was looking for a serious book about Stephen Bishop. I wasn't aware that this is a short cartoon book. I was using a cell phone to browse through it and didn't see the page length. Not worth the price.

Stephen Bishop was a slave who explored and mapped Mammoth Cave. The book is set in 1840 where you can follow the light of Bishop’s lantern deep into the massive cave as he gives people and the reader a tour. For the reader though, the tour is about slavery, about civil rights and about the ability for a man to discover value through exploring darkness. Bishop was the first to see many of Mammoth’s sights, including the blind fish. He learned to read as people signed their names on the cave’s ceiling, though learning to read and write was forbidden for slaves. This man’s story is a tale of resilience, self worth and discovery.Henson tells the story almost in verse, capturing the highlights of the man’s discoveries but also weaving the dark side of slavery with the darkness of the cave. Henson gives Bishop a strong voice, one that stands out on the page and demands to be heard. Told in the voice of The Guide, Bishop explains slavery and its structure to the reader just as he explains his role and his attitudes towards life and the cave that made his famous. The author’s note contains information on Bishop and how he was sold along with the cave to several owners.Collier’s illustrations are exceptional. He has several that are simply amazing in their power. One that caused me to linger for some time was the page with the oxen with faces on their sides, faces of slavery in various colors that are wrinkled and damaged. It’s a powerful reminder of the place of slaves as property. There are other pages that show hope in the slanting light of sun as Bishop exits the dark of the cave is one. Exceptional.A strong picture book biography of a man many won’t have heard of before, this book speaks to the tragedy of slavery and the resilience and power of one man. Appropriate for ages 6-9.

I picked up the book wanting to know more about the character. The book gives a hint of his life, but I felt it lacked the heart of "a slave".