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Fredrick L. McKissack, Sr.

フレドリック・エル・マッキサック（シニア）

Fredrick L. McKissack Sr.

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1939-08-12 （Nashville, Tennessee）
Died
2013-04-28 （St. Louis, Missouri） age 73
Nationality
United States
Languages
English

Career

Occupations
writer, children's author, researcher, civil engineer
Active Years
1980-2013

Education

Tennessee State University
College of Engineering / Department of Civil Engineering
Degree: Bachelor of Science（推定）
Country: United States
Described as having earned a degree in civil engineering; exact graduation year not specified.

Awards

Coretta Scott King Author Award
1990
Work: A Long Hard Journey: The Story of the Pullman Porter
Organization: American Library Association (Coretta Scott King Roundtable)
Result: 受賞
Coretta Scott King Author Award
1995
Work: Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters
Organization: American Library Association (Coretta Scott King Roundtable)
Result: 受賞
Carter G. Woodson Book Award
1993
Work: Madam C. J. Walker
Organization: National Council for the Social Studies
Result: 受賞
Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement
2014
Work: (awarded for joint lifetime achievement with Patricia McKissack)
Organization: American Library Association (ALA)
Result: 受賞（追贈・共同受賞）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Civil Rights Movement in America from 1865 to the Present

1987 Children's non-fiction, history

A children's overview of the civil rights movement in the United States from 1865 onward, outlining major events and figures.

civil rightsAfrican-American history

A Long Hard Journey: The Story of the Pullman Porter

1989 Children's non-fiction, labor history

Through the history of the Pullman porters, this children's book explores African-American labor and community roles.

labor historyrace and work

Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman?

1992 Children's biography

A biography of Sojourner Truth, the former slave who became a prominent advocate for abolition and women's rights.

biographywomen's rightsabolition

Madam C. J. Walker

1993 Children's biography, business history

A children's biography introducing the entrepreneurship and achievements of Madam C. J. Walker, a prominent African-American businesswoman.

entrepreneurshipAfrican-American success stories

Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters

1994 Children's non-fiction, history

Compares how Christmas was celebrated in the big house and in the slave quarters in the American South, highlighting cultural differences under slavery.

slaverycultural history

Rebels Against Slavery: American Slave Revolts

1996 Children's non-fiction, slave rebellions

A children's account of slave revolts and resistance movements in American history.

resistanceslavery

Black Hands, White Sails: The Story of African-American Whalers

1999 Children's non-fiction, maritime history

Tells the history and social significance of African-American whalers.

maritime historyAfrican-American occupational history

Days Of Jubilee: The End of Slavery in the United States

2002 Children's non-fiction, history

Explains the end of slavery in the United States to a young audience, covering the processes and events that led to emancipation.

abolitionhistorical education

Bibliography

  • The Civil Rights Movement in America from 1865 to the Present
  • A Long Hard Journey: The Story of the Pullman Porter
  • Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman?
  • Madam C. J. Walker
  • Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters
  • Rebels Against Slavery: American Slave Revolts
  • Black Hands, White Sails: The Story of African-American Whalers
  • Days Of Jubilee: The End of Slavery in the United States

Style & Themes

Literary Style
clear, explanatory children's non-fictionresearch-based, fact-focused writingbiographical and event-driven narrative arranged for young readers
Recurring Motifs
African-American history and achievementscivil rights and resistancelabor history and occupational rolesbiographical portrayals of individuals

Legacy

Together with Patricia McKissack he produced dozens of children's history books that brought African-American history into children's literature. Their work has been widely praised in education and libraries; the couple received a lifetime achievement award in 2014.

Archives

  • Library of Congress catalog records

Quotes

  • In those days there were so few books for and about the African-American child... Black kids needed to see themselves in books.
    Source: 2006 interview, cited in The New York Times obituary (2006)

Trivia

  • He collaborated with Patricia McKissack on over 100 children's books.
  • His family ran McKissack & McKissack, a long-established African-American architectural and construction firm in Nashville.
  • He joined the United States Marines after high school.
  • He participated in sit-ins and activities of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.