Carter G. Woodson

Children's Literature

This easy reader biography, part of the "Great African Americans" series, details the life of one of the pioneers of Black history. Carter G. Woodson was born in 1875. Both his mother and father had been born into slavery. Faced with one hardship after another, Woodson always managed to further his education, eventually earning his Ph.D. from Harvard University. His motto was, "It's never too late to learn." While teaching in the Philippines, Woodson came to the realization that very little African history was taught, even back home in America. Returning to the United States he determined that, "We will teach ourselves about ourselves," and pioneered the incorporation of Black history into American history. He was also instrumental in founding what is now known as Black History month. The revised edition of this simple yet effective biography includes black-and-white photographs, a timeline, glossary and index. Carter G. Woodson died in 1950.
—Christopher Moning

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-- Five biographies that have simplified vocabularies, large print, and plenty of black-and-white photographs and illustrations. Throughout the texts, words printed in boldface type are explained in the ``Words to Know'' sections. The selection of words seems capricious, and the definitions simplistic to the point of inaccuracy (e.g., freedom is defined as ``the power to make choices and decisions with responsibility''). The liberal use of exclamation points and choppy sentences lend an old-fashioned primer quality to the books, as in the Frederick Douglass volume: ``Freedom was always on his mind. He wanted to run! Run! Run! His friends said wait. He needed a plan.'' There is a strong need for black history books for young readers, and even with their flaws, these are a step in the right direction. --Anna DeWind, Milwaukee Public Library