New York Times Best-Selling Author Visits Grace

We had a wonderful visit on September 28, 2018 from New York Times best-selling children’s author and prize-winning poet Carole Boston Weatherford and her son, Jeffery Weatherford, illustrator and poet.

Ms. Weatherford is a children’s book author and poet who “mines the past for family stories, fading traditions, and forgotten struggles.” A number of her books tell the stories of African-American historical figures such as Harriet Tubman, Jesse Owens, and Billie Holiday. Other books recount historical events such as the Greensboro Sit-ins and the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. Ms. Weatherford’s books have received a wide variety of awards, including Caldecott Honors for Freedom in Congo Square and Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom.

Carole and Jeffery led our students in dynamic readings of their work, incorporating sound effects, responses, and live drawings. The team read from, among others, Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins and Jazz Baby. 

Our students loved hearing how both artists got started in their crafts as elementary schoolers themselves! It was an inspiring end to our week. Keep reading, writing, and drawing, Gryphons!