Booker T. Washington

Children's Literature - Sheree Van Vreede

When Booker T. Washington was nine years old, the Civil War ended and his family was set free. Freedom meant that Booker could now go to school. For Booker, this opportunity was as exciting as getting a new bike is to kids today. Told in a down-to-earth manner, readers experience the struggle Booker and his family went through so he could have an education. This is a truly inspiring tale that relives a very important life in American history. Part of the "On My Own Biographies" series.

School Library Journal

Gr 1-3-A brief, easy-to-read biography that covers the educator's life from ages 7 to 16. As a slave, Washington was deprived of schooling. After emancipation his family's poverty forced him to work in salt and coal mines. He did, however, learn the alphabet on his own from a book and then received some instruction from a teacher at night. At 12, he heard of a school for African Americans where students could work in exchange for an education. After four years of working and saving, and with the help of many former slaves who donated to his cause, Washington arrived at Hampton Institute, 500 miles away. A one-page afterword and time line include the main events and accomplishments of his life. This is an inspiring story told in a style simple enough for young readers to comprehend. Appealing, soft, colored-pencil drawings illustrate almost every page. Patricia and Fredrick McKissack's Booker T. Washington (Enslow, 1992) and Margo McLoone's Booker T. Washington (Bridgestone, 1997) cover his entire life for the same age level.-Kate Kohlbeck, Randall School, Waukesha, WI