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Carole Boston Weatherford

キャロル・ボストン・ウェザーフォード

Carole Boston Weatherford

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1956-02-13 （Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English

Career

Occupations
author, poet, critic, children's author, professor
Active Years
1978-
Affiliations
Fayetteville State University (writer-in-residence / faculty)
Influenced By
Langston Hughes

Education

American University
Degree: BA
Year of Graduation: 1977
Country: United States
University of Baltimore
publication design
Degree: MA
Year of Graduation: 1982
Country: United States
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
creative writing (MFA)
Degree: MFA
Country: United States

Awards

Carter G. Woodson Book Award (Elementary Level)
2001
Work: The Sound that Jazz Makes
Category: Children's literature
Organization: National Council for the Social Studies
Result: Won
Caldecott Medal (Honor)
2007
Work: Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom (as illustration honor)
Category: Illustration/Children's picture book
Organization: American Library Association (ALA)
Result: Honor
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Children
2007
Work: Moses
Category: Children's literature
Organization: NAACP
Result: Won
Coretta Scott King Award
2022
Work: Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre
Category: Author & Illustrator (Author award)
Organization: Coretta Scott King Book Awards (ALA)
Result: Won
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal
2022
Work: Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre
Category: Informational books
Organization: American Library Association
Result: Won
Children's Literature Legacy Award
2025
Category: Lifetime contribution
Organization: American Library Association (ALA)
Result: Won
Walter Dean Myers Award
2018
Category: Young readers
Organization: Walter Dean Myers Award
Result: Won

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom

2006 Children's picture book / poetic biography

A poetic picture-book account of Harriet Tubman's leadership in guiding people to freedom; illustrated by Kadir Nelson and widely acclaimed.

slaveryliberationbiographical heroism

Before John Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane

2007 Children's book (poetry/biography)

A poetic depiction of John Coltrane's childhood and growth, emphasizing the connection between music and life.

musiccoming-of-ageAfrican-American history

Becoming Billie Holiday

2008 Poetic novel (young adult)

A YA poetic novel tracing the early life and artistic development of Billie Holiday.

musicbiographyidentity

Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement

2015 Nonfiction (children's biography)

A children's biography introducing the life and activism of civil-rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer.

civil rightssocial justicebiography

Freedom in Congo Square

2016 Picture book (poetry)

A picture book in verse celebrating the culture and expressions of freedom by African Americans in New Orleans' Congo Square.

culturetraditionfreedom

Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre

2021 Nonfiction (children's, verse)

A children's nonfiction account, told in verse, of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre (Greenwood District).

racismhistorical memoryjustice

How Do You Spell Unfair? MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee

2023 Nonfiction (children's)

A children's nonfiction book that examines racial injustice and unfairness through the experiences of MacNolia Cox.

racismeducationequality

Bibliography

  • Juneteenth Jamboree (1995)
  • The Sound that Jazz Makes (2001)
  • Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom (2006)
  • Before John Was a Jazz Giant (2007)
  • Becoming Billie Holiday (2008)
  • Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer (2015)
  • Freedom in Congo Square (2016)
  • Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre (2021)
  • How Do You Spell Unfair? (2023)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical, music-infused poetryconcise, powerful narration in children's biography and nonfiction
Recurring Motifs
African-American history and traditionmusic (jazz, gospel, rap, etc.)social justice and preserving memory

Legacy

Carole Boston Weatherford has contributed to preserving and transmitting African-American history and culture to young readers through picture books, poetry, and biographies. Her many awards and honors have secured a lasting influence in children's literature.

Academic Societies

  • American Library Association and related committees

Quotes

  • My calling is to mine the past for family stories, fading traditions and forgotten struggles.
    Source: Author's notes / interview (2008)

Trivia

  • Has published over 50 children's books, mainly nonfiction and poetry.
  • Known for early-2000s critiques of perceived racial stereotyping in popular culture (e.g., Pokémon's Jynx and Dragon Ball's Mr. Popo).
  • Recipient of the 2025 Children's Literature Legacy Award.