Carole Boston Weatherford was Baltimore-born and raised. She composed her first poem in first grade and dictated the verse to her mother. Her father, a high school printing teacher, printed some of her early poems on index cards. What a thrill!
Since her literary debut with Juneteenth Jamboree in 1995, Carole’s books have received many literary honors. Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led her People to Freedom (2006), illustrated by Kadir Nelson, won a Caldecott Honor and the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration. The Sound that Jazz Makes (2000) won the Carter G. Woodson Award from National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and an NAACP Image Award nomination. Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins (2005) and Remember the Bridge: Poems of a People (2002) both won the North Carolina Juvenile Literature Award. Freedom on the Menu was a finalist for the North Carolina Children's Book Award. Remember the Bridge was short-listed among the NCSS Notables, International Reading Association Teachers’ Choices and Voices of Youth Advocates Poetry Picks. And Birmingham, 1963 won the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award for 2008.
Carole earned a Master of Arts in publications design from the University of Baltimore and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. Currently, she teaches at Fayetteville State University and lives in High Point, N.C. with her husband Ronald, son and daughter.
Selected Reviews of Carole's Books
Jesse Owens: Fastest Man Alive
Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by Eric Velasquez
Though America’s fight against Hitler would not begin for several years, the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany shone a spotlight on a nation ruled by Nazi prejudice. This insightful picture book biography tells the story of Jesse Owens, the track-and-field athlete who won four gold medals and crushed Hitler’s dream of using the Olympics to show the superiority of the “German race.” Carole Boston Weatherford sets the tone for the book with the rousing poem “Go!”--simultaneously summarizing Owens’s youth and cheering him on to success as an Olympic competitor. Illustrator Eric Velasquez’s soft pastels launch the book by depicting the Olympic champion beginning a race, and the images continue to propel readers through each scene as though viewing snapshots in a scrapbook. The illustrations perfectly balance the thoughtful poems Weatherford created, detailing each step toward the defining moment, when Owens won his fourth gold medal and set a world record for the long jump that would remain unbroken for twenty-five years. The sensitive interweaving of both words and pictures place the Olympic Games in their historical context of segregation in America and the Holocaust. However, these sad truths never overshadow the book’s focus on an amazing American hero. Additional information at the end of the book rounds out the biography with facts about Jesse Owens’s life “beyond the track,” both before and after the 1936 Olympics. This inspirational story will serve many purposes in the classroom, from discussions about prejudice, the Holocaust, and segregation, to the importance of role models who are examples of determination, sportsmanship, and hard work. 2007, Walker & Company, $16.95. Ages 6 to 11. Reviewer: Keri Collins (Children's Literature).
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 who worked so hard to raise the necessary funds, obtain the land, get lumber from black and white farmers, and the sweat of hard labor to build 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, $16.99. Ages 5 to 10. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature).
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom
Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
This is a fictional account of Harriet Tubman’s spiritual and physical escape from slavery to freedom; the text reads as a poetic conversation between Tubman and God and follows her journey north from a Maryland plantation. The story continues as Tubman returns to the south to rescue her family and other slaves, buoyed by her strong faith in God. This is a beautiful book! The stirring prose, often taken from spirituals, is incorporated into Kadir Nelson’s dark yet emotionally-charged paintings (which have since been awarded a Caldecott Honor); the printed text often follows the edge of Harriet’s dress or mirrors the shape of a rushing stream. The expressions on Tubman’s face show both the joy and despair she experienced throughout her life; this is not a “happy” story, but it is strong and inspiring. Although some may not want to share this book with an entire class because of the strong religious component, it certainly deserves a place on the shelves. A foreword explaining the practice of slavery and an author’s note describing further details of Tubman’s life add to the understanding of the story. Category: Picture Book.. 2006, Hyperion Books for Children, $15.99. Ages 5 to 11. Reviewer: Katrina Bender (The Kutztown University Book Review, Spring 2007).
Birmingham, 1963
Carole Boston Weatherford
Weatherford's free verse tersely but vividly recreates the feelings of a ten-year-old African-American girl in 1963 as individuals participating in the Civil Rights Movement are being confronted with police dogs and water canons. She recalls the meetings, and the marches, but in particular, the Sunday at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, where, after Sunday school, Ku Klux Klan members blew up the church, killing four young girls. The horror is made clear; then each of the girls is remembered in sadness. The black cloth cover under the dust jacket sets the emotional tone for the tragic story. Full-page black and white photographs from the time face the off-white text pages with their few lines of type plus gray photographic vignettes of objects related to the text, like fancy socks and gloves, or the coins for the collection plate. The images have been chosen to emphasize the drama of the hurtful events of the day. Brick-red geometric shapes are also repeated in varying positions on the text pages, perhaps suggesting the fragmentation of the church. They add a sense of mystery as they help unify the images. An Author's Note adds factual historic information, while explaining the fictional function of the narrator of the moving presentation. 2007, WordSong/Boyds Mills Press, $17.95. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewers: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature).
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom
In this performance of the Caldecott Honor book, audiences join in choral reading, creating sound effects and singing spirituals. (All Ages)
Remember the Bridge: Reading, Writing & Rhythm
Audiences chant refrains, sing and play percussion in this celebration of African-American heritage. (All Ages)
Freedom on the Menu & Poetry a la Carte
Stories and poems celebrating the African-American freedom struggle. Grade 2 up.
Jazz Baby
Stories, song, poetry, percussion and movement reinforce listening skills. For preschoolers to grade 2. 60 students maximum.
Sidewalk Chalk Poetry Fest
Poetry, percussion and playground rhymes celebrate family and community (Pre-K-6). Workshop covers poetry, letter writing, description and process analysis. Grades 2 to 5.
Hurricanes & Heroes
Storytelling, Writing Workshop & Teacher Workshop Based on Sink or Swim: African-American Lifesavers of the Outer Banks, A True Adventure (AR selection and NCDPI supplemental title for social studies)
Performance: Story, song, character education and hurricane lore. Grades 3 up
Workshop: Covers song lyrics, persuasive letters and alliteration. Grades 3 to 8. 50 students maximum.
Teacher Workshop: Covers history, spirituals and hurricane lore. Teachers receive a study guide with synopsis, timeline and classroom activities.
Linking the Spoken & Written Word
Creative Writing Workshop for Teacher In-service: Literature rooted in oral traditions inspires participants’ poems or stories. Choose units on family stories, quilting, folktales, holidays, recipes, proverbs, superstitions or blues. All ages and ability levels. 50 students maximum.
VROOM! Verbs Are Engines
Storytelling & Writing Workshop for Assemblies or Classrooms.
Verbs are the most powerful and descriptive part of speech. Students listen to a tall tale, noting the narrative arc and listing action verbs. Students then write a sequel to the tale. Grades 3 to 6.
Keynotes & Workshops
For professional conferences, community agencies, churches, parenting/literacy programs and family audiences
Fees:
Performance - 30-60 minute poetry or storytelling program, 200 students maximum: $500
(Single performances available only in NC Triad)
Writing Workshop - 2 to 3 sessions per day, 50 students maximum: $300 per session
Day-long Author Visit - 3 assemblies or workshops,1 informal session for students or teachers and book signing: $1,000-$1,200
Residency - 2 or more days in same locale: $1,000 per day
Travel and lodging: Travel and lodging costs to be covered by booking organization if travel is beyond the North Carolina Triad region.
To learn more about Carole and her publications please visit www.caroleweatherford.com.
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