BIO
Carole Boston Weatherford is an African-American author and critic, now living in North Carolina, United States. She is the winner of the 2022 Coretta Scott King Award for Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre. She writes children's literature and some historical books, as well as poetry and commentaries.
Ekua Holmes is the acclaimed bestselling illustrator of several award-winning picture books, including Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer (Caldecott Honor, NAACP Image Award, CSK John Steptoe Award, Sibert Honor), Out of Wonder (CSK Award, NY Times bestseller), and The Stuff of Stars (CSK Award). A painter and collage artist, she graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Visit her at ekuaholmes.com.
REVIEWS
A welcome addition to civil rights literature for children … Hamer’s determination, perseverance, and unwavering resolve come through on every page. Holmes’ quiltlike collage illustrations emphasize the importance Hamer placed on community among African-Americans. Young readers who open this book with just a vague notion of who Fannie Lou Hamer was will wonder no more after absorbing this striking portrait of the singer and activist. Bold, honest, informative, and unforgettable. -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Caldecott Honor winner Weatherford (Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, 2006) has rendered Hamer’s voice so precisely that it is like sitting at her knee as she tells her story. Holmes’ multimedia collages perfectly capture the essence of each poem. Like Hamer’s life, the illustrations are filled with light, texture, movement, and darkness. They are both abstract and realistic, brilliantly juxtaposing gentle floral motifs with protest placards and Fannie Lou Hamer’s face in bold relief. Ultimately, though this is Hamer’s story, it includes the collaborative struggles of others with whom she worked and fought for a different America. Bold, unapologetic, and beautiful. -- Booklist (starred review)
Told in the first person from Hamer’s own perspective, this lyrical text in verse emphasizes the activist’s perseverance and courage, as she let her booming voice be heard. Holmes’s beautiful, vibrant collage illustrations add detail and nuance, often depicting Hamer wearing yellow, which reflects her Sunflower County roots…Hamer’s heroic life story should be widely known, and this well-crafted work should find a place in most libraries. -- School Library Journal (starred review)
Artist Holmes, in her children’s literature debut, elevates an already excellent narrative with richly colored collage illustrations that layer meaning upon meaning with scraps of historical photos, newsprint, maps, musical scores, and more…This majestic biography offers a detailed, intelligible overview of Hamer’s life while never losing the thread of her motivations, fears, and heroic triumphs, and places the civil rights movement in personal, local, national, and international contexts. -- The Horn Book (starred review)
In a series of poems in this biography, Weatherford traces the life of Fannie Lou Hamer from her childhood as the youngest of 20 children of sharecroppers in Mississippi to her social and political activism…The poems feature particular events in Hamer’s life and their implications, which provide readers with memorable, heart-wrenching details. -- Literacy Daily
[H] Candlewick Press / August 04, 2015
0.6" H x 10.2" L x 11.3" W (1.3 lbs) 56 pages
[P] Candlewick Press / December 24, 2018
0.2" H x 9.8" L x 11.0" W (0.65 lbs) 56 pages