Author | Carole Boston Weatherford |
---|---|
Publisher | Candlewick Press |
Publication date | September 12, 2017 |
Pages | 48 |
Awards |
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ISBN | 978-0-7636-8046-6 |
Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library is a 2017 non-fiction children's book written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Eric Velasquez. It provides a biography of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, a Puerto Rican-American bibliophile and curator.
The book was well-received by critics. In 2018, it won a Walter Dean Myers Award and Golden Kite Award, among other honors.
Schomburg was well received by critics, including starred reviews from Booklist , [1] Kirkus Reviews, [2] Publishers Weekly , [3] and Shelf Awareness . [4]
Kirkus Reviews called the book "a fascinating and inspiring biography" that "shines a light on a little-known figure." [2]
Reviewers praised Weatherford's engaging and accessible prose, with Booklist's Karen Cruze noting that Weatherford "brings Schomburg's story to life with vivid language and meticulous research." [1] Publishers Weekly praised Weatherford's ability to "convey the significance of Schomburg's work" and noted that the book is "a testament to the power of libraries and education." [3] Jen Forbes, writing for Shelf Awareness, praised the book's "lyrical language" and noted that it is "a must-read for anyone interested in history, libraries, or the African diaspora." School Library Journal 's MaryAnn Karre praised the book's "vivid descriptions". [5]
Booklist also praised the illustrations by Eric Velasquez, noting that they "add a rich visual dimension to the text." They also praised Ron Butler's narration for bringing "energy and enthusiasm" to the story. [6]
Schomburg is a Junior Library Guild book. [7]
Kirkus Reviews and Shelf Awareness named Schomburg among the best picture books of 2017, [8] [9] and the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature name it one of the best multicultural children's books of the year. [10] The following year, Booklist included it on their "Top 10 Biographies for Youth" and "Top 10 Diverse Nonfiction for Older and Middle Readers" lists. [11] [12] The Association for Library Service to Children included it on their list of the year's "Notable Children's Books", [13] and Capitol Choices included it on their list of "Noteworthy Books for Children (7-10)". [14]
Year | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2018 | AAUW NC Award for Young People’s Literature | Won | [15] |
Carter G. Woodson Book Award (Middle Level) | Honor | [16] | |
Golden Kite Award for Non-Fiction for Younger Readers | Won | [17] [18] | |
Jefferson Cup Award | Honor | [19] | |
Walter Dean Myers Award for Young Readers | Won | [17] [20] [21] | |
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction | Nominated | [22] |
Dreamscape adapted the book into a 52-minute film. [23]
Carole Boston Weatherford is an American author and critic. She has published over 50 children's books, primarily non-fiction and poetry. The music of poetry has fascinated Weatherford and motivated her literary career. She has won multiple awards for her books, including the 2022 Coretta Scott King Award for Author for her book Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre. As a critic, she is best known for her controversial criticism of Pokémon character Jynx and Dragon Ball character Mr. Popo.
Amy Sarig King is an American writer of short fiction and young adult fiction. She is the recipient of the 2022 Margaret Edwards Award for her "significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature". She is also the only two-time recipient of the Michael L. Printz Award for Dig (2019) and as editor and contributor to The Collectors: Stories (2023).
Before John Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane is a children’s picture book written by American author and critic Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Sean Qualls. It tells the story of a young John Coltrane growing up in the South in the 1930s. It was published by Henry Holt in 2008.
Kwame Alexander is an American writer of poetry and children's fiction.
Peter Brown is an American writer and illustrator who is best known for children's picture books. He won a Caldecott Honor in 2013 for his illustration of Creepy Carrots!
Alex Gino is a genderqueer American children's book writer. Gino's debut book, Melissa, was the winner of the 2016 Stonewall Book Award and the 2016 Lambda Literary Award in the category of LGBT Children's/Young Adult.
As Brave As You is a young adult novel written by Jason Reynolds, published May 3, 2016 by Atheneum. The book describes two African-American brothers from Brooklyn who are sent to spend the summer with their grandfather in Virginia.
Brandy Colbert is an American author of young adult fiction and nonfiction.
Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets is a 2017 collection of poems for children's by Kwame Alexander with co-authors Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth and illustrated by Ekua Holmes. The book won the 2018 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award. Each of the 20 poems is written in tribute to and in the style of a well known poet.
The Poet X, published March 6, 2018 by HarperTeen, is a young adult novel by Elizabeth Acevedo. Fifteen-year-old Xiomara, also known as "X" or "Xio," works through the tension and conflict in her family by writing poetry. The book, a New York Times bestseller, was well received and won multiple awards at the 2019 Youth Media Awards.
Freedom in Congo Square is a 2016 poetic nonfiction picture book by Carole Boston Weatherford, and illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. It was published in hardcover by Little Bee Books. The book provides an account of 19th-century slaves in New Orleans who were able to gather in one place on Sundays: Congo Square. In addition to the book's main text, "an introduction and afterword provide further historic detail."
We Are Water Protectors is a 2020 picture book written by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade. Written in response to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, the book tells the story of an Ojibwe girl who fights against an oil pipeline in an effort to protect the water supply of her people. It was published by Roaring Brook Press on March 17, 2020. The book was well received. Critics praised its message of environmental justice, its depiction of diversity, and the watercolor illustrations, for which Goade won the 2021 Caldecott Medal, becoming the first Indigenous recipient of the award. The book also received the 2021 Jane Addams Children's Book Award winner in the Books for Younger Children category.
Anna and the Swallow Man is a young adult historical fiction novel by Gavriel Savit, published January 26, 2016 by Knopf. The book is a New York Times best seller and received the Sydney Taylor Book Award for Teen Readers and the Odyssey Award.
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre is a picture book written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Floyd Cooper. Published on February 2, 2021, by Carolrhoda, it tells the history behind the Tulsa race massacre in verse.
Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, The Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement is a 2015 non-fiction and poetic children's book by written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Ekua Holmes.
In Your Hands is a 2017 children's picture book written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Brian Pinkney.
The Roots of Rap: 16 Bars on the 4 Pillars of Hip-Hop is a 2019 nonfiction children's book written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Frank Morrison.
How Do You Spell Unfair?: MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee is a 2023 nonfiction children's book written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Frank Morrison. It was well received by critics and was named one of the best children's books of the year by multiple sources.
Frank Morrison is an American illustrator of children's literature and graffiti artist.
Eric A. Velásquez is an American author and illustrator of over 30 children's books. Among other honors, he has won a John Steptoe New Talent Award (2001), Pura Belpré Award (2011), and NAACP Image Award (2021).