MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee by Carole Boston Weatherford; illus. by Frank MorrisonPrimary Candlewick 40 pp.4/23 9781536215540 $18.99As a young Black girl growing up in 1930s Akron, Ohio, MacNolia Cox had an affinity for words—long and complicated words in particular. Known to read the dictionary for fun, the...
A Song for the Unsung: Bayard Rustin, the Man Behind the 1963 March on Washington by Carole Boston Weatherford and Rob Sanders; illus. by Byron McCrayPrimary, Intermediate Holt 40 pp.11/22 9781250779502 $19.99e-book ed. 9781250906106 $10.99This necessary backstory of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom illuminates the significant...
This interview originally appeared in the November/December 2022 Horn Book Magazine as part of the Publishers’ Previews: Picture Books and Graphic Novels, an advertising supplement that allows participating publishers a chance to each highlight a book from its current list. They choose the books; we ask the questions. Sponsored by...
Standing in the Need of Prayer: A Modern Retelling of the Classic Spiritual by Carole Boston Weatherford; illus. by Frank Morrison Primary, Intermediate Crown 32 pp. g 9/22 978-0-593-30634-5 $18.99 Library ed. 978-0-593-30635-2 $21.99 e-book ed. 978-0-593-30636-9 $10.99 This is a moving walk through African American...
As the speeches and profiles arrived for this year’s ALA Awards special issue, we noticed a theme: so many of them address the idea of learning from others, especially those who came before. That’s part of the work of acceptance speeches, of course, as creators give credit to their influences....
From time to time, I do consider writing nonfiction for young readers. I think about the people, places, and events that highlight the Black experience in the United States. And I think of the skill, wisdom, and knowledge it takes to find the right stories, the necessary stories to construct...
Floyd Cooper's family. From left: his son Dayton, wife Velma, and son Kai. Photo courtesy of Dayton Cooper. Bittersweet. I’d like to start off by thanking the 2022 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Jury, and of course ALA, for making this possible. But more importantly, I’d like to thank my...
I am grateful to the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Jury and for the support of Lerner Publishing Group and Carolrhoda Books, my editor Carol Hinz, art director Danielle Carnito, my agent Rubin Pfeffer, and my publicists Lindsay Matvick and Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati. Most of all, I am blessed that I...
Call Me Miss Hamilton: One Woman’s Case for Equality and Respect by Carole Boston Weatherford; illus. by Jeffery Boston WeatherfordPrimary, Intermediate Millbrook 40 pp. g2/22 978-1-5415-6040-6 $19.99e-book ed. 978-1-5415-9936-9 $9.99Mary Hamilton was a teacher, a Freedom Rider, a CORE regional director, and an agent of change. Carole Boston Weatherford’s (Unspeakable,...
Winner Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford; illus. by Floyd Cooper Primary, Intermediate Carolrhoda 32 pp. g 2/21 978-1-5415-8120-3 $17.99 e-book ed. 978-1-7284-1738-7 $27.99 In 1921, over the course of sixteen hours, the Black community of Greenwood, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was all but destroyed, with most of...