Carole Boston Weatherford
We met at a local restaurant about a half hour from where she lives in North Carolina. Even though I had never met Carole, she was easy to spot in the restaurant-she has a definite air of confidence and a warm smile. I learned that she teaches at Fayetteville State University-composition and children's literature--with three classes this semester and four planned for the next term. With that workload, I don't see how she has much time to write. But her latest books-Dear Mr. Rosenwald and Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom have both garnered starred reviews, so she can obviously manage her time quite well.
Like many writers that I have met, Carole started early. In the first grade while driving home with her mother, she made up a poem about the seasons. Her mother pulled over and wrote it down. Then her Dad had it printed up on his school's letterpress. In high school Carole won a creative writing award and later minored in creative writing in college. However, her writing was always put on the backburner and she considered it more of a hobby, although she did submit poems and to the New Yorker and Atlantic Monthly. She discovered one of her poems in print while in a dentist office and from then on she could say with confidence that she was a published poet. However, to earn a living, Carole worked initially in public relations. She also continued to publish poems and focused on raising her children. She read a lot of books to her kids and by this time-- unlike when she was growing up--there was a large selection of multicultural books. It dawned on her that she could write books for children. Her discipline as a poet and publicist--where economy of language is critical--had trained her well for the world of children's picture books.
But stepping back a bit, when Carole married, she moved from the Baltimore area to North Carolina and worked both in a salaried position and then as a freelancer. Finally she decided to stay at home with her children. But she applied to enter the MFA program in Creative Writing at UNC at Greensboro, which was actually a second masters for her since she already had one in publications design from the University of Baltimore. Carole told me that she has a vision in her mind when she writes "I always see the scene and want it to be evocative enough that an illustrator can just grab it." She has been teamed with some excellent illustrators who have clearly been inspired by her words.
One other thing Carole noted was that there are stories all around her in North Carolina, because so much took place in this area of the country. For example, Freedom on the Menu relates an incident that occurred just a few miles away in Greensboro. It was a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement, and a story that needed to be told. When she realized that, a light bulb went off in Carole's head, but she needed to find an appropriate child sized desire as the focal point-a child the age of the one in the book wouldn't know about equality. In addition, she had to have a family, because kids could not participate in the Civil Rights Movement. The result is a young girl's observations of what went on during the Greensboro sit-ins, and how she finally got to sit at the lunch counter in Woolworth's to enjoy a banana split.
The story, Dear Mr. Rosewald is fiction, but based on fact and it is told in the voice of a girl who is waiting for a school to be built. In North Carolina there were 2500 Rosenwald schools. Julius Rosenwald who was the President of Sears, Roebuck and Company, and a member of the Tuskegee board was convinced by Booker T. Washington to provide matching funds to help build rural schools. The illustrator R. Gregory Christie is an award winning illustrator who used a primitive folk art style to illustrate the story. Interestingly a few of the schools are still standing, but they are old buildings made of wood and there is a move afoot to save some of them. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has named them as endangered structures and some have been restored as museums and even homes.
Shifting gears, NASCAR racing is also big in her area. Carole told me that she was really interested in telling a story about the first successful Black NASCAR race driver. She has decided to tell that story in poetic form rather than prose. Poetry is after all her first love and her strength.
The Author's Notes in Carole's books are particularly well done, and she told me that she often doesn't write one until the book is sold. Often the note contains some of the same information that comprises her cover letter to the publisher. This really should be no surprise since Carole does undertake extensive research into her book topics and reads widely on her subject. Among the individuals that she has wanted to write about are Mathew Henson and Billie Holliday. The latter had a particularly difficult life that included drugs, jail and a terrible home life. She equates the story to Monster by Walter Dean Myers. She said that she was surprised at how much teenage girls were interested in this singer who passed away more than 45 years ago. When she was in the Wax Museum in Baltimore, she met a young girl in the 8th grade who remarked that Billie could really sing and Carole has since met students very interested in Billie's life.
While Carole does school visits, her teaching schedule makes it difficult for her to travel very far from her home state. Classes are normally held on Tuesdays and Thursdays and she drives more than 100 miles round trip each of those days. Her position came about in an interesting way. While she was on the Fayetteville campus, she gave a poetry reading and when he heard her, the provost asked Carole if she would become a writer-in-residence. They worked out the details and she has spent four years in a distinguished professorship. In 2007, Carole will be named as an associate professor.
As for her personal life, Carole has two children, a daughter at Hampton University working on an MBA, and a son in high school who is very interested in art and hopes to someday be a videogame designer. Her husband is employed by the Postal Service and is also a minister. In closing the interview, Carole said that her aim is to mine the past for family stories, fading traditions and forgotten struggles--to bring them to light and share them with today's readers. I will certainly be looking forward to all of her new books.
For more information about Carole visit
//www.wincbooks.com/cbweatherford.htm
http://www.caroleweatherford.com/
Contributor: Marilyn Courtot
Reviews
The African-American Struggle for Legal Equality in American History
Carole Boston Weatherford
The Weatherford volume traces the issue of civil rights across one hundred and fifty years of American history; the other books are more concentrated, explaining the political culture of individual eras, identifying notable figures, and discussing the continuing legacy of the events described. Occasionally drab black-and-white photos and reproductions accompany the texts. Bib., ind. (In American History series). Category: Nonfiction-History. 2000, Enslow, 128pp, $20.95. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 4: Recommended, with minor flaws. Reviewer: Horn Book (Horn Book Guide, Spring 2001).
ISBN: 0-7660-1415-0
Dear Mr. Rosenwald
Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
I for one did not realize what Julius Rosenwald, the President of Sears, Roebuck and company had done for education. He donated money to found schools for rural African-American communities. There were some strings or requirements associated with the bequests-Rosenwald provided the seed money and the community had to obtain the land, raise more funds, and build the schools. There had to be participation by the white populace, and the state had to agree to continue to support the schools. Carole Weatherford tells the story of one particular school and the sharecroppers who had so little, yet worked so hard to raise the necessary funds, obtain the land, get lumber from black and white farmers, and through the sweat of hard labor to built a school. The parents knew that education was the only way to escape the grinding poverty that held them bondage. The new teacher summed it up "Children, you are diamonds in the rough / I will polish you bright as stars." Also the letter written to thank Mr. Rosenwald is reprinted on the back jacket. The author's note is quite informative and it is amazing to learn that more than 5,000 Rosenwald schools were built. The art by Coretta Scott King honor artist Christie has a primitive look. At first glance it was a bit off putting, but as the story unfolded, it felt more and more appropriate. By a second reading, I was seeing more and more in the faces of the people and Christie's ability to reflect in his images the lyrical text. 2006, Scholastic, Ages 5 to 10, $16.99. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature).
Best Books:
Kirkus Book Review Stars, September 1, 2006; United States
ISBN: 0-439-49522-9
ISBN: 978-0-439-49522-6
Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-ins
Carole Boston Weatherford
Paintings by Jerome Lagarrigue
Our young black narrator takes us back to Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1960 as she experiences the restrictions she lives under in the segregated South. Many places are labeled for "Whites Only." In Woolworth's she and her mother must drink their cokes standing since they cannot sit at the counter. But then Dr. King comes to preach, and some young black men begin to try to sit in at the forbidden snack bar. Protests and picketing are followed by arrests, even in her family. But finally she can eat the coveted banana split sitting at the counter, a triumphant symbol to her of the beginning of the end of segregation. Acrylic paintings of varying size clearly define the time and place of the narrative and provide portraits of the actors in this historic drama. Impressionistic, often somber in tone, they give ample evidence of the seriousness of the actions taken despite the lack of obvious violence. A lengthy note adds details about the sit-ins and the times. 2005, Dial Books for Young Readers/Penguin Young Readers Group, $16.99. Ages 5 to 9. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature).
Lagarrigue is the artist at work in Freedom on the Menu, a picture book account of the 1960 Greensboro lunch counter sit-ins, written by Carole Boston Weatherford. Weatherford frames her story as a first-person account by a girl whose college-age brother and sister join in the growing protests over segregation in public spaces. Through the eyes of eight-year-old Connie we see how she and her mother must stand to sip their Cokes during a shopping trip, while a girl her age with "a purse almost exactly like mine," swivels on the counter stool and enjoys a banana split. Later, when the Greensboro Four take seats at the Woolworth's counter, defying convention, Connie says she'd be too hungry to wait four hours to be served. "(T)hey didn't really want food," her father explains. "They wanted to be allowed to get it . . . To be treated fairly." Fairness is a concept every kid understands so the ending, which shows Connie finally getting both a seat and her own banana split, is supremely satisfying. 2005, Dial/Penguin, $16.99. Ages 5 to 10. Reviewer: Sue Corbett (Miami Herald) (Children's Literature).
It occurred to me while reading this book that the 1960s--a period of vibrancy and possibilities in my memories--is ancient and dull history to children in school now. All the more reason to share books like this with them. Weatherford imparts the sense of the danger faced and the sheer bravery that the young men who "stood up by sitting down" exhibited during the Greensboro sit-ins. Told from the point of view of the youngest in her family (and thus excluded from the dangers of protest marches and sit-ins), Connie's naiveté matches the reader's. As her understanding of the situation expands, the reader's does as well. The message is clear: one by one, the barriers fell because of the determination of those who knew they were better than how their country and their communities treated them. Each and every one of them made a difference. Lagarrigue's beautiful and evocative paintings move from the whole page format to small paintings on a page of text and pull the reader through the story. 2005, Dial/Penguin, $16.99. Ages 7 to 10. Reviewer: Joan Kindig, Ph.D. (Children's Literature).
Best Books:
Best Children's Books of the Year, 2005; Bank Street College of Education; United States
Capitol Choices, 2006; The Capitol Choices Committee; United States
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
American Association of University Women Award for Juvenile Literature Winner 2005 United States
State and Provincial Reading Lists:
North Carolina Children's Book Award, 2005-2006; Nominee; Junior Book; North Carolina
ISBN: 0-8037-2860-3
Great African-American Lawyers: Raising the Bar of Freedom
Carole Boston Weatherford
During World War II, Benjamin Hooks, then a student at LeMoyne College was drafted into the United States Army. Young Hooks, an African-American, was assigned duty as a guard in a Georgia prison installation. There, Hooks was responsible for overseeing the security of Italian prisoners of war who were assigned farm work as part of their captivity. Quickly, Benjamin Hooks realized that the Italian POW's were allowed privileges such as eating at local "whites only" restaurants that were denied him. This experience solidified Hooks' feeling that discrimination was a social ill that the United States, as a democracy, could not maintain. Eventually, Benjamin Hooks became a prominent lawyer whose efforts in private practice, for the NAACP, and as a minister helped end the scourge of legal segregation that marred the nation both north and south. Mr. Hooks' accomplishments, as well as those of nine other African-American jurists, are presented in this biographical compendium. In this informative book author Carole Boston Weatherford offers readers insights into the lives, struggles, and accomplishments of ten African-Americans who utilized the law as a means not only of earning their daily bread but also of accomplishing some form of social justice. This is a fine book and one that sheds some light on the contributions of African-American litigators as well as the ills that they fought. 2003, Enslow, $20.95. Ages 10 up. Reviewer: Greg M. Romaneck (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-7660-1837-7
Jazz Baby
Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by Laura Freeman
"Jazz baby, jazz baby, hippity hop. Bounce and boogie, bebop-de-bop." Readers of all ages are sure to tap their toes when they follow a group of toddlers as they move and play, hum and drum, snap and sing to the rhythms of jazz. The use of repeated language patterns allows young listeners to anticipate and predict the text, thus increasing their confidence in understanding how words are put together to make meaning. The illustrations, computer-generated digital renderings designed to replicate the look of pastel chalks, are colorful and vibrant. The images reveal lively youngsters of various genders and ethic backgrounds playing instruments, dancing, and singing individually and in groups. These children are having such a wonderful time that readers will likely wish to join in the fun. The final page, in image and word, creates a soothing end to a high-spirited tale. "Jazz baby, jazz baby, hum a song. Let it rock you all night long." Highly recommended for teachers and caregivers who wish to expose children to playful language and model the potential joy found in music. 2002, Lee & Low Books, $11.95. Ages 3 mo. to 5. Reviewer: Wendy Glenn, Ph.D. (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 1-5843-0039-6
Juneteenth Jamboree
Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by Yvonne Buchanan.
Did you know that "Juneteenth" is short for "June 19th.," the anniversary of the day in 1865 that Texas slaves learned of their freedom? Young Cassandra has just moved to Texas and is celebrating the anniversary for the first time. She makes a new friend, feasts on delicious Texas-style food, and joins others in letting off balloons of freedom. The celebration makes her feel at home in Texas for the first time since she moved. Learn about a Texas tradition from a child's point of view in this delightful story about the joy of freedom. 1995, Lee & Low, $14.99. Ages 6 to 9. Reviewer: Dia L. Michels (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 1-8800-0018-0
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom
Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
The last book I read about Harriet Tubman was Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman by Alan Schroeder with pictures by Jerry Pinkney. It was a superb book and won many honors and awards. Weatherford picks up the story with Harriet as an adult slave who is married but still burns with the desire for freedom. The character of Harriet, her strength and willingness to sacrifice everything to be free is deeply intertwined with her faith in God. She talks to God and it is her faith and belief that keep her going through the arduous walk to freedom. The design of the book is quite remarkable. The story that tells of her escape appears in a normal font. The words that she hears from God are all in capital letters in a much larger font. There is a continuous dialogue or conversation with the Almighty. Many of the pictures are dark since her escape and travels took place at night and often her face and body reflect the despair and physical exhaustion that are part of her journey. Once she reaches a safe house the sky lightens and they parallel the hope and trust that others will help Harriet along the way. Again when she reaches freedom in Philadelphia, the sun truly shines. With her head still held high, but eyes closed in reverence, peace is reflected through her uplifted hands to clearly shown the end of this part of her journey. The story doesn't end here. Not content to be free herself, Harriet learns to be a conductor on the Underground Railroad and makes many harrowing trips back south to lead others to freedom. She becomes a Moses to her people. It is a stunning marriage of text and illustrations and a story that should inspire all. 2006, Hyperion, Ages 5 up, $15.99. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot
Best Books:
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, July 31, 2006; Cahners; United States
ISBN: 0-7868-5175-9
ISBN: 978-0-7868-5175-1
A Negro League Scrapbook
Carole Boston Weatherford
Negro league baseball experienced one of its high points in 2006 when seventeen Negro league alumni were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Such a large election was intended to address baseball's previous failure to recognize many greats of the segregated baseball era. The election also reflected the shame of our nation and former national pastime--that professional baseball was once segregated by race, which led to the formation of the Negro Baseball Leagues, where black ballplayers had their chance to play professionally. This engaging, quick read is filled with photos of Negro league stars such as Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, "Cool Papa" Bell, and Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe, plus various items of Negro league memorabilia. The photos are the book's strongest point and provide revealing glimpses into the ballplayers' lives. For example, one picture depicts a black man drinking from a water fountain labeled for "Coloreds" only. The author mentions Negro league alumnus Jackie Robinson breaking major league baseball's color line in 1947 with the National League's Brooklyn Dodgers. Regrettably, she does not similarly mention another alumnus, Larry Doby, who shattered the American League's color line three months after Robinson's debut. There is a chart at the end of the book listing Baseball Hall of Famers from the Negro leagues. Unfortunately, there are two omissions from this list as of the book's publication, Doby (inducted in 1998) and Hilton Smith (2001). This book is a good introduction to the Negro leagues that may inspire young readers to further exploration. 2005, Boyds Mills Press, $19.95. Ages 7 up. Reviewer: Bruce Adelson, J.D. (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 1-5907-8091-4
Princeville: The 500-Year Flood
Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by Douglas Alvord
Weatherford recounts the events surrounding Hurricane Floyd and the torrential rains that accompanied it as it swept through eastern North Carolina in 1999. Lavada, Jimmy, and Mama live in the tiny town of Princeville, North Carolina, on the south side of the Tar River. When the waters rise, they flee property that has belonged to their family since the Civil War. They take temporary shelter in a trailer until they can rebuild. Weatherford offers an interesting history of this unique African American community as well as a chronicle of this catastrophe. Douglas Alvord's charcoal sketches convey the destruction of the disaster as well as the determination of the townspeople to rebuild. This will make a good read-aloud for classes studying natural disasters, weather, or North Carolina history. Pair it with Jane Kurtz's River Friendly, River Wild (2000), a poetic and personal account of a flood in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Category: Books for Middle Readers--Nonfiction. 2001, Costal Carolina, $14.95. Gr. 2-5. Reviewer: Kay Weisman (Booklist, Feb. 15, 2002 (Vol. 98, No. 12)).
ISBN: 1-928556-32-9
Remember the Bridge: Poems of a People
Carole Boston Weatherford
Designed by Semadar Megged
This book was begun more than two decades ago when, for a graduate school photo-essay assignment, Carole Boston Weatherford pored over "hundreds of prints and photographs." Over the years she has written word images to go with the visual representations. Weatherford has created an amazing chronicle with her skillful pairing of pictures and poetry. Her introductory poem, "Remember the Bridge," begins, "Remember the bridge/that your ancestors crossed,/the sweat that was spilled/and the lives that were lost." In concise, prosaic language, she goes on to explain the mission of her book. She sets out to remember slaves, conductors and passengers of the Underground Railroad, Civil War soldiers, people who told tales of traveling to a more industrialized north and those who fought for Civil Rights. This lofty goal is realized with twenty-seven emotive poems that speak for people who were captured in Africa, traveled across the ocean, were sold on slave blocks, fought for freedom and strived for recognition in all fields. Not only does Weatherford honor people named and unnamed, she celebrates poetry as she alters tones to match periods and enlivens eras with poignant images. The illustrations for these poems are dramatic monochromes that vary from line drawings to a heart-breaking photograph of a horribly scarred run-away slave. Weatherford's well-shaped book spirals upwards to the final poem, "I Am the Bridge," which summarizes the strength of the voices of all the lives she's made vivid and their impact on the world. She ends with a sense of continuance and hope, "The past is the foundation,/the future the next span. /We'll bridge the mighty river;/brothers, sisters, hand in hand." 2002, Philomel, $17.99. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewer: Susie Wilde (Children's Literature).
This photo essay, written in poetic form, describes African-American history from Africa to the present. The photographs, paired with the poems, are haunting and remind us of the accomplishments of people who began building the bridge to the future--especially those who struggled through slavery and, later, the Civil Rights Movement. Many notable African Americans such as Rosa Parks, Joe Lewis, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Mae Jemison are included. The last poem, however, leaves the reader with a feeling of optimism and hope that, although many have gone before us, we now are responsible for continuing the journey across the bridge of time. The poems, simply written, would be appropriate for use in elementary school classes, yet their beauty and power would be instructive for a university-level History or English class. 2002, Philomel/Penguin, $17.99. Ages 9 up. Reviewer: Ellie Elzerman (Children's Literature).
The author's note at the end of this collection of poems and photographs explains how the author began her "pilgrimage into my past." She had written poems and was searching for photographs to accompany them. The research led her to look at hundreds of prints and photographs that proved to be the inspiration for subsequent poems, which cover four hundred years of African-American history. The poems take readers from the slave trade in Africa to the slave markets in the U.S. to life on a plantation, escape, life as free men and women of color, heroes and heroines including contemporary singers, jazz musicians, star athletes, the civil rights movement and the joy of success and achievement. This look at African-American history will linger with the reader and it ends with the hope and belief in a bright future for all. The handsome book is a great choice for both poetry and African-American collections. 2002, Philomel, $17.99. Ages 10 up. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature).
Best Books:
The Best Children's Books of the Year, 2003; Bank Street College of Education; United States
Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, Supplement, 2003; H.W. Wilson; United States
Kirkus Book Review Stars, December 1, 2001; United States
Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, Ninth Edition, 2005; H.W. Wilson; United States
Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, Supplement to the Eighth Edition, 2003; H.W. Wilson; United States
Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts, 2003; NCTE Children's Literature Assembly; United States
Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, 2003; National Council for the Social Studies NCSS; United States
Teachers' Choices, 2003; International Reading Association; United States
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
AAUW Award for Juvenile Literature Winner 2002 United States
ISBN: 0-399-23726-7
Sidewalk Chalk: Poems of the City
Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrations by Dimitrea Tokunbo.
Gifts for Kwanzaa might represent one of the holiday's seven principles. The first refers to unity, especially of family, community, nation, and race. The sixth recognizes the importance of creativity in building a stronger community. Carole Boston Weatherford's Sidewalk Chalk can be seen as a lyrical representation of both principles. Twenty poems bring to life a city neighborhood peopled with Bea the Beautician, animal lover Hazel Harris, and kids planting tire gardens, splashing in the park pool, and licking chocolate ice cream cones. Dimitrea Tokunbo's vibrant illustrations add a festive touch. 2001, Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press, $15.95. Ages 7 to 12. Reviewer: Mary Quattlebaum (Children's Literature).
Twenty poems that capture the sights and sounds of modern American city life flow across this 32-page format picture book. Whether a visit to the laundromat, lunch at Moe's greasy spoon, an appointment at the beauty shop, or following the ice cream truck, ordinary events are celebrated. All the senses are aroused, from the smells of the city market to the sounds of the faithful to the gentle touch of caring family members. The language is rhythmic like a city street. The illustrations depict the city in all its colors--both bright and muted but always compelling and richly textured. They show what is good about an urban community in all its diversity. As the final poem states "where I live there are no trees to climb," but "dreams take root in concrete" and "my branches lift the sky." The book will serve to entice young city dwellers to celebrate poetry as well as themselves. 2001, Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press, $15.95. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewer: Valerie O. Patterson (Children's Literature).
Best Books:
The Best Children's Books of the Year, 2002; Bank Street College of Education; United States
State and Provincial Reading Lists:
Texas Reading Club, 2004; Texas
Young Hoosier Book Award, 2004; Nominee; Picture Book (Grades K-3); Indiana
ISBN: 1-5639-7084-8
The Sound that Jazz Makes
Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrations by Eric Velasquez.
Carole Boston Weatherford traces the history of jazz in her poem-chant The Sound That Jazz Makes. Weatherford's tribute to this American art form begins with the pulsing of African drums, is entrapped in "boats that moan," surges in Southern slave songs, echoes in ragtime tunes and Delta blues. Her lyrical history ends triumphantly--"JAZZ is a downbeat born in our nation, /chords of struggle and jubilation." Eric Velasquez's rich paintings sweep across double-page spreads, conveying visually the energy and passion of jazz. 2000, Walker, $17.85 and $16.95. Ages All. Reviewer: Mary Quattlebaum (Children's Literature).
This beautifully illustrated book takes a passionate look at the history and development of jazz music--from African savannas and slave ships to ragtime saloons and jazz clubs. Each two-page spread contains colorful, poignant oil paintings accompanied by touching, lyrical text. This resource accurately captures the wide array of emotions associated with the evolution of this unique art form--upbeat rain chants, somber slave songs, bouncy bar tunes, heartbreaking blues, thankful psalms, and swinging bebops. Jazz is as American as apple pie, and young music lovers everywhere will enjoy learning about the legacy behind one of today's most popular forms of music--hiphop. This wonderful introduction to jazz shows children how this special brand of music evolved and continued to reinvent itself throughout the decades. The author and illustrator should be proud of their efforts to create an effective and memorable publication. 2000, Walker & Company, $16.95. Ages 5 to 9. Reviewer: Debra Briatico (Children's Literature).
Best Books:
Adventuring with Books: A Booklist for Pre-K-Grade 6 13th Edition, 2002; National Council of Teachers of English; United States
Kaleidoscope, A Multicultural Booklist for Grades K-8, Fourth Edition, 2003; National Council of Teachers of English; United States
Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts, 2001; National Council of Teachers of English; United States
Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, 2001; National Council for the Social Studies NCSS; United States
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Carter G. Woodson Book Awards Winner 2001 Elementary United States
State and Provincial Reading Lists:
Charlotte Book Awards, 2002; Nominee; Intermediate; New York
ISBN: 0-8027-8720-7
ISBN: 0-8027-8721-5
Added 08/30/06
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