By Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by Frank Morrison
New York: Crown Books for Young Readers, 2022. Informational picture book.
The popular spiritual, Standing in the need of prayer, has been reworked to chronicle the milestones, struggles, tragedies, and triumphs of African American people and their history. The text and illustrations of this inspirational book are informative reminders of yesterday, hopeful images for today, and aspirational dreams of tomorrow.
By Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by Ekua Holmes
Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2015. Biography.
Presents a collage-illustrated treasury of poems and spirituals inspired by the life and work of civil rights advocate Fannie Lou Hamer.
By Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2006. Picture book.
Describes Tubman's spiritual journey as she hears the voice of God guiding her north to freedom on that very first trip to escape the brutal practice of forced servitude. Tubman would make nineteen subsequent trips back South, never being caught, but none as profound as this first one.
By Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
New York: Little Bee Books, 2016. Picture book.
A poetic tribute to a lesser-known event in African-American history describes how after working relentlessly for more than six days, slaves in 19th-century New Orleans were permitted to congregate in Congo Square to sing, dance and put aside their troubles for a few hours.
By Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by Michele Wood
Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2020. Biography.
Henry Brown wrote that long before he came to be known as "Box," he entered the world a slave. He was put to work as a child and passed down from one generation to the next -- as property. When he was an adult, his wife and children were sold away from him out of spite. Henry Brown watched as his family left, bound in chains, headed to the deeper South. What more could be taken from him? But then hope -- and help -- came in the from of the Underground Railroad. Escape! Celebrated poet Carole Boston Weatherford powerfully narrates Henry Brown's story of how he came to ship himself in a box from slavery to freedom.
By Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by Floyd Cooper
Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books, 2021. Informational picture book.
Celebrated author Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrator Floyd Cooper provide a powerful look at the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in our nation's history.
By Carol Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by Frank Morrison
New York, NY: Little Bee Books, 2019. Informational picture book.
Presents the history of hip-hop including, how it evolved from folktales, spirituals, and poetry, to the showmanship of James Brown, to the culture of graffiti art and breakdancing that formed around the art form.
By Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by Frank Morrison
New York: Atheneum, 2020. Biography.
Aretha Franklin was born to sing. The daughter of a pastor and a gospel singer, her musical talent was clear from her earliest days in her father's Detroit church. Aretha sang with a soaring voice that spanned more than three octaves. Her incredible talent and string of hit songs earned her the title "the Queen of Soul." This Queen was a multi-Grammy winner and the first female inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And there was even more to Aretha than being a singer, songwriter, and pianist: she was an activist, too. Her song "Respect" was an anthem for people fighting for civil rights and women's rights. With words that sing and art that shines, this vibrant portrait of Aretha Franklin pays her the R-E-S-P-E-C-T this Queen of Soul deserves.
By Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by Frank Morrison
Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2023. Biography.
A true story of determination and groundbreaking achievement follows eighth grade African American spelling champion MacNolia Cox, who left Akron, Ohio, in 1936 to compete in the prestigious National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., only to be met with prejudice and discrimination.
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