Most Popular Books by Carole Boston Weatherford

A black mother expresses the many hopes and dreams she has for her child in this powerful picture book masterpiece by ALSC Children’s Literature Legacy Award–winning author Carole Boston Weatherford that’s perfect for gift-giving. When you are a newborn, I hold your hand and study your face. I cradle you as you drift to sleep. But I know that I will not always hold your hand; not the older you get. Then, I will hold you in my heart And hope that God holds you in his hands.

A celebration of family love from the 2025-2026 Young People''s Poet Laureate Carole Boston Weatherford! This beautiful rhyming board book is filled with all the sweet reasons why Grandma''s love is so special! With simple rhyming text, a young child reflects on the many reasons they love their Grandma. From the games they play together to the way she understands her grandchild, this sweet story show us all just how much our grandmas love us! This is adorable board book is the perfect way for children to feel the love and security grandmas give and to celebrate the diverse ways that love is shown and celebrated!

A celebration of family love and Black joy from Coretta Scott King Award–winning author and 2025-2026 Young People''s Poet Laureate Carole Boston Weatherford, this beautiful rhyming board book is the perfect gift for mom! The sun is calling us outside. Mama cheers me down the slide! We wish on puffs and sift through sand. We hike together hand in hand. With simple, charming text, and colorful illustrations, Me and My Mama is the perfect way to for kids to reflect on the special role their Mama plays in their life and explore the many ways love can be shown!

Children''s Literature Legacy Award winning author Carole Boston Weatherford pays tribute to sights and sounds of urban life in twenty fresh and rhythmic poems. At every corner, down every block, a city percolates with people at work and play: girls jumping double Dutch, the shoeshine man polishing a pair of wing tips, boys heading toward the basketball court. Each neighborhood is filled with unique characters (the beautician, the barber, the short-order cook) and places (the storefront churches, the outdoor market, the park pool) - all as familiar as family. In quiet moments and lively street scenes, Weatherford''s words and Dimitrea Tokunbo''s vivid illustrations captures the excitement and diversity found in these places that have "no trees / to climb" but where people young and old still "reach for the stars."

This stunning and empowering picture book from a New York Times bestselling and ALSC Children’s Literature Legacy Award–winning author and an acclaimed illustrator celebrates a Black mother’s hopes and dreams for her daughter. As I cradle you, look in your eyes, your gaze says softly, I want to know everything. I promise to show you all that I can. This love letter from mother to daughter inspires young girls to follow their dreams, no matter what challenges life may bring. Young readers will be reminded that love and support from home will follow them as they venture out into the world.

From the award-winning author and illustrator of Standing in the Need of Prayer comes a joyous picture book about an intergenerational Black family cooking a delicious feast and appreciating their quality time together. Aunts, uncles, cousins, all pitch in. Hustle, bustle in the kitchen. Catching up, shooting the breeze, sharing stories and recipes. When it comes to a family feast, it’s all hands on deck! Big Ma and Pops have been up early in anticipation of everyone’s arrival. Aunts, uncles, and cousins gather from all over to help prepare their big meal. Clanging pots, chopping vegetables, sharing recipes, and swiping little treats are part of the fun! After the cooking is done, all of the relatives come together to pray, eat, and enjoy their special moment as a family. Newbery Honor and Children''s Literature Legacy Award winner Carole Boston Weatherford and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winner Frank Morrison deliver a heartwarming peek at the love and the chaos that ensue when a family comes together and connects through food.

From the Newbery Honor-winning author of Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom comes a joyful picture book set to “This Little Light of Mine.” With a unique jacket and case cover, it’s the perfect gift for all of life’s milestones. This little light reflects an everlasting flame: Hope that was passed down to you by those who overcame. A new sun is rising. Tomorrow''s yours to claim. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. Read or sing along to affirmations that will inspire children as well as adults to dream big and commemorate every success. The powerful text reminds readers that everyone has potential for greatness; it shines brightly from within and sparks your determination to reach for the stars, even when you feel doubt. The vibrant illustrations focus on kids and adults enjoying everyday moments like reading, gardening, and reuniting, as well as commemorating milestones and achievements, like graduating or winning a medal. Certain images also pay homage to historical changemakers such as Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and Shirley Chisholm, and others who paved the way for the Black community. With two distinct illustrated covers, one on the jacket and the other on the case, this book is the perfect gift for graduation and life’s major milestones. It encourages everyone to fan their spark into a flame, celebrate joy, and cherish each moment.

In this powerfully written and beautifully illustrated picture book by Children''s Literature Legacy Award winner Carole Boston Weatherford and multi-award winning illustrator E. B. Lewis, Mother Africa addresses her offspring of all colors in all corners of the earth, reminding us of our timeless bond. Written in the voice of Mother Africa, who speaks to her children—human beings—this stunning picture book thrums with the love between mother and child as it celebrates humanity’s common roots. Before words or tools or fire, Mother Africa’s caves sheltered us and her forests fed us. She could not protect us from all dangers, but, like mothers everywhere, she gave her children all she could and sent us into the world with confidence and love. Told in the ringing, singing language of a creation story, this book is a love letter from mother to child that honors our shared history. Includes back matter with nonfiction information about human evolution and about the migration of Homo sapiens from Africa around the globe.

Chosen as a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of 2016, this poetic, nonfiction story about a little-known piece of African American history captures a human''s capacity to find hope and joy in difficult circumstances and demonstrates how New Orleans'' Congo Square was truly freedom''s heart. Mondays, there were hogs to slop, mules to train, and logs to chop. Slavery was no ways fair. Six more days to Congo Square. As slaves relentlessly toiled in an unjust system in 19th century Louisiana, they all counted down the days until Sunday, when at least for half a day they were briefly able to congregate in Congo Square in New Orleans. Here they were free to set up an open market, sing, dance, and play music. They were free to forget their cares, their struggles, and their oppression. This story chronicles slaves'' duties each day, from chopping logs on Mondays to baking bread on Wednesdays to plucking hens on Saturday, and builds to the freedom of Sundays and the special experience of an afternoon spent in Congo Square. This book will have a forward from Freddi Williams Evans (freddievans.com), a historian and Congo Square expert, as well as a glossary of terms with pronunciations and definitions. AWARDS: A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2016 A School Library Journal Best Book of 2016: Nonfiction Starred reviews from School Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, and The Horn Book Magazine

Cassandra and her family have moved to her parents'' hometown in Texas, but it doesn''t feel like home to Cassandra until she experiences Juneteenth, a Texas tradition celebrating the end of slavery.

Children''s Literature Legacy Award winner and Young People''s Poet Laureate Carole Boston Weatherford and award-winning illustrator James E. Ransome use key moments from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.''s life to inspire future generations to stand up for what''s right, make the world a better place, and be a King. You can be a King. Stamp out hatred. Put your foot down and walk tall. You can be a King. Beat the drum for justice. March to your own conscience. Featuring a dual narrative of the key moments of Dr. King''s life alongside a modern class as the students learn about him, this engaging story highlights principles that readers today can emulate in their own lives. As times change, Dr. King''s example remains, encouraging a new generation of children to take charge and change the world . . . to be a King.

Discover the true story of the woman Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. nicknamed "Red" because of her fiery spirit! Mary Hamilton grew up knowing right from wrong. She was proud to be Black, and when the chance came along to join the Civil Rights Movement and become a Freedom Rider, she was eager to fight for what she believed in. Mary was arrested again and again—and she did not back down when faced with insults or disrespect. In an Alabama court, a white prosecutor called her by her first name, but she refused to answer unless he called her “Miss Hamilton.” The judge charged her with contempt of court, but that wasn’t the end of it. Miss Mary Hamilton fought the contempt charge all the way to the Supreme Court. Powerful free verse from Carole Boston Weatherford and striking scratchboard illustrations by Jeffery Boston Weatherford, accompanied by archival photographs, honor this unsung heroine who took a stand for respect—and won.

An incredibly moving picture book biography of the man behind the hymn “Amazing Grace” and the living legacy of the song by New York Times bestselling and ALSC Children’s Literature Legacy Award–winning author Carole Boston Weatherford and award-winning illustrator Frank Morrison. One stormy night at sea, a wayward man named John Newton feared for his life. In his darkest hour he fell to his knees and prayed—and somehow the battered ship survived the storm. Grateful, he changed his ways and became a minister, yet he still owned a slave ship. But in time, empathy touched his heart. A changed man, he used his powerful words to help end slavery in England. Those words became the hymn “Amazing Grace,” a song that has lifted the spirit and given comfort across time and all over the world.

Commemorate the innumerable ways the African American community has shaped the foundation of the United States in this stunning, poetic picture book from the Caldecott Honor-winning team behind Freedom in Congo Square. Black hands molded clay, chiseled marble, rendered portraits, and painted vistas. Black hands penned literary testaments that have stood the test of time. Since the United States won independence in 1776, African Americans have contributed greatly to the nation’s culture, politics, economy, and landscape. Black Hands celebrates the countless contributions of African Americans—from building the White House, birthing jazz, and landing a man on the moon to pushing for social justice. Black excellence, however, has too often been overlooked. Black Hands reunites Newbery Honor winner Carole Boston Weatherford and Coretta Scott King award-winning illustrator R. Gregory Christie to chronicle the remarkable progress of African Americans, even in the face of adversity.

A Jane Addams Children''s Honor Book Written by Children''s Literature Legacy Award winner Carole Boston Weatherford, this poetic tribute to the victims of the racially motivated church bombing that served as a seminal event in the struggle for civil rights is a book that captures the heartbreak of that day, as seen through the eyes of a fictional witness. In 1963, the eyes of the world were on Birmingham, Alabama, a flashpoint for the civil rights movement. Birmingham was one of the most segregated cities in the United States. Civil rights demonstrators were met with police dogs and water cannons. On Sunday, September 15, 1963, members of the Ku Klux Klan planted sticks of dynamite at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, which served as a meeting place for civil rights organizers. The explosion killed four little girls. Their murders shocked the nation and turned the tide in the struggle for equality. Poignant text written in free verse pairs with archival photographs in this powerful memorial to the young victims.

Coretta Scott King Author Honor Award The stunning voice and hard life of legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday is revealed through evocative, accessible poetry written by Children''s Literature Legacy Award winner Carole Boston Weatherford. In 1915, Sadie Fagan gave birth to a daughter she named Eleanora. The world, however, would know her as Billie Holiday, possibly the greatest jazz singer of all time. Eleanora''s journey to become a legend took her through pain, poverty, and run-ins with the law. By the time she was fifteen, she knew she possessed something that could possibly change her life: a voice. Eleanora could sing. Her remarkable voice led her to a place in the spotlight with some of the era''s hottest big bands. Through a sequence of raw and poignant poems, New York Times best-selling and award-winning poet Weatherford chronicles the singer''s young life, her fight for survival, and the dream she pursued with passion.

The Society of Illustrators Original Art Exhibit 2015 2015 NAACP Image Award—Outstanding Literary Work, Children New York Public Library''s 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People 2016—CBC/NCSS STARRED REVIEW! "Weatherford writes in the present tense with intensity, carefully choosing words that concisely evoke the man. Parks'' photography gave a powerful and memorable face to racism in America; this book gives him to young readers."—Kirkus Reviews starred review "This is a promising vehicle for introducing young children to the power of photography as an agent for social change, and it may make them aware of contemporary victims of injustice in need of an advocate with a camera."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children''s Books The story of a self-taught photographer who used his camera to take a stand against racism in America. His white teacher tells her all-black class, You''ll all wind up porters and waiters. What did she know? Gordon Parks is most famous for being the first black director in Hollywood. But before he made movies and wrote books, he was a poor African American looking for work. When he bought a camera, his life changed forever. He taught himself how to take pictures and before long, people noticed. His success as a fashion photographer landed him a job working for the government. In Washington DC, Gordon went looking for a subject, but what he found was segregation. He and others were treated differently because of the color of their skin. Gordon wanted to take a stand against the racism he observed. With his camera in hand, he found a way. Told through lyrical verse and atmospheric art, this is the story of how, with a single photograph, a self-taught artist got America to take notice.

There were signs all throughout town telling eight-year-old Connie where she could and could not go. But when Connie sees four young men take a stand for equal rights at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, she realizes that things may soon change. This event sparks a movement throughout her town and region. And while Connie is too young to march or give a speech, she helps her brother and sister make signs for the cause. Changes are coming to Connie’s town, but Connie just wants to sit at the lunch counter and eat a banana split like everyone else.

2025 Best STEM Book Winner 2025 Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts Take a journey through the creative process that led folk artist Vollis Simpson to create his wonderful and whimsical wind-powered whirligigs and more in this STEAM/STEM picture book written by Children''s Literature Legacy Award winner Carole Boston Weatherford. Vollis Simpson was a man with a curious mind—always eager to know how things worked and how to fix them. Growing up on a farm in North Carolina, he loved to tinker with machines. And when he served in the Army Air Corps during WWII, Vollis kept right on tinkering. His ingenuity allowed him to build things no one would have thought to create from scraps—a washing machine out of airplane parts and a motorcycle out of a bike. After the war, his passion for metal creations picked up speed—turning into a whirlwind of windmills as far as the eye could see. Luckily, Vollis’s fanciful and colorful windmills have been preserved at a park in Wilson, NC, where visitors can behold his magnificent and towering creations forever whizzing in the air.

A celebration of the love between father and child from Coretta Scott King Award–winning author and Young People''s Poet Laureate Carole Boston Weatherford, this beautiful rhyming board book is the perfect gift for dad and everyone who loves him! Daddy is everything in my eyes. He''s the answer to my hows and whys. Daddy''s a tug boat that pulls me along. Daddy''s a rock band playing our song. With simple, charming text, and colorful illustrations, My Daddy Is Everything highlights the special role that Daddy plays in a child''s life and celebrates the many ways he shows his love!