Books with author Deborah Hopkinson

An inspiring tale of creativity and determination on the Underground Railroad from Coretta Scott King Award winner James Ransome and acclaimed author Deborah Hopkinson.Clara, a slave and seamstress on Home Plantation, dreams of freedom—not just for herself, but for her family and friends. When she overhears a conversation about the Underground Railroad, she has a flash of inspiration. Using scraps of cloth from her work in the Big House and scraps of information gathered from other slaves, she fashions a map that the master would never even recognize. . . .From the award-winning author-illustrator team of Deborah Hopkinson and James Ransome, this fictional tale of the Underground Railroad continues to inspire young readers 25 years after its original publication."Inspiring." —The New York Times"A triumph of the human spirit." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

Award-winning author Deborah Hopkinson grew up in Massachusetts and after college moved to Hawaii where she worked as a college development administrator while nurturing her writing career. In this 9th book of the Author and YOU series, Hopkinson shares her curiosity and the manner in which that curiosity leads to investigation and research and then to her many fiction and nonfiction stories. The author discusses each of her books, providing the back story, the impetus for the book, and the research activities that brought each of the stories to young readers. The particular emphasis of this book is the writing of books for young readers within a historical context and how to use primary source documents in that effort. The author has a well-developed Web site with lesson plans for her books already in place. Her books are particularly valuable in school libraries as many are set in a historical context. She also has several biographies in her portfolio and is well known in that context to school librarians. Grades K-6.

Now, I’m sure you know lots about Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States. But what you might not know is that Abe would never have become president if it hadn’t been for Austin Gollaher. Learn the story of what really happened to Honest Abe when he was just a kid in this nonfiction picture book that's perfect for President's Day and every day! The year is 1816. Abe is only seven years old, and his pal, Austin Gollaher, is ten. Abe and Austin decide to journey down to Knob Creek. The water looks scary and deep, and Austin points out that they don’t know how to swim. Nevertheless, they decide to traverse it. I won’t tell you what happens, but let’s just say that our country wouldn’t be the same if Austin hadn’t been there to help his friend. An ALA-ALSC Notable Children’s Book A Booklist Editors’ Choice A Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book “Rewarding on many levels, this high-spirited picture book is an engaging example of metafiction for the younger set.” —Booklist, Starred “A lively, participatory tale. . . . This is a book you should add to your shelves.” —School Library Journal, Starred “It’s a winner.” —The Bulletin, Starred

Published in time for the 150th anniversary of her birth, this story stars a young Beatrix Potter, creator of The Tale of Peter Rabbit and many other classic children’s books. Master of the historical fiction picture book, Hopkinson takes readers back to Victorian England and the home of budding young artist and animal lover Beatrix Potter. When Beatrix brings home her neighbor’s pet guinea pig so that she can practice painting it, well . . . it dies! Now what? Written in the form of a “picture letter,” this charming, hilarious, and mostly true tale is a wonderful introduction to a beloved author/illustrator.An author's note includes photographs and more information about Beatrix Potter's life and work."A charming, delightful homage." —Kirkus Reviews, StarredFrom the Hardcover edition.

Inspired by the life of pioneering female baseball player Alta Weiss, and dramatized by Terry Widener’s bold illustrations, Girl Wonder tells the unforgettable story of a true American original.Alta Weiss was born to play baseball, simple as that. From the age of two, when she hurls a corncob at a pesky tomcat, folks in her small Ohio town know one thing for sure: She may be a girl, but she’s got some arm. When she’s seventeen, Alta hears about a semipro team, the Independents. Here’s her big chance! But one look at Alta’s long skirts tells Coach all he needs to know—girls can’t play baseball! But faster than you can say “strike out,” Alta proves him wrong: Girls can play baseball!

For years Dickens kept the story of his own childhood a secret. Yet it is a story worth telling. For it helps us remember how much we all might lose when a child's dreams don't come true . . . As a child, Dickens was forced to live on his own and work long hours in a rat-infested blacking factory. Readers will be drawn into the winding streets of London, where they will learn how Dickens got the inspiration for many of his characters. The 200th anniversary of Dickens's birth was February 7, 2012, and this tale of his little-known boyhood is the perfect way to introduce kids to the great author. This Booklist Best Children's Book of the Year is historical fiction at its ingenious best.

At work, at play, at home, in the White House.The White House is a museum, the office of the chief executive, a gathering place for leaders and visitors from around the globe, and it is also a home for one special family—the First Family.This book follows a day in the life of the Obama family: President Barack, First Lady Michelle, First Daughters Malia and Sasha, and even First Pup Bo. From moving in on inauguration day to making important decisions, hosting state dinners, planting a garden, exploring the historic house, and leading around the Secret Service, the First Family is very busy.Deborah Hopkinson and AG Ford take young readers through an extraordinary ordinary day in the life of America's much-beloved First Family.

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Award-winning author Deborah Hopkinson pieces together the harrowing, tragic story of the TITANIC in this Sibert Honor volume. Now in paperback! In this award-winning book, critically acclaimed author Deborah Hopkinson weaves together the voices and stories of real TITANIC survivors and witnesses to the disaster -- from the stewardess Violet Jessop to Captain Arthur Rostron of the CARPATHIA, who came to the rescue of the sinking ship. Packed with heartstopping action, devastating drama, fascinating historical details, loads of archival photographs on almost every page, quotes from primary sources, and painstaking back matter, this gripping story, which follows the TITANIC and its passengers from the ship's celebrated launch at Belfast to her cataclysmic icy end, is sure to thrill and move readers.

A Band of Angels is fiction, but it is based on real events and people. The character of Ella was inspired by Ella Sheppard Moore, who was born February 4, 1851, in Nashville, Tennessee. Her father was able to free himself and young Ella from slavery, but before he could buy freedom for Ella’s mother she was sold away. Ella was raised in Cincinnati, where she took music lessons. At fifteen, she was left penniless when her father died. She arrived at Fisk School in 1868 with only six dollars. Fisk was opened in 1866 as a school for former slaves and began offering college classes in 1871. That year, in a desperate attempt to save Fisk from closing, a music teacher named George White set out with a group of students on a singing tour to raise money. Although at first they only sang popular music of the day, they soon became famous for introducing spirituals to the world. Ella Sheppard was the pianist for the Jubilee Singers on their historic concert tours, which raised enough money to save the school and build Jubilee Hall, the first permanent structure in the South for the education of black students. Ella later married George Moore, had three children, and located her mother and a sister. She died in 1914. Today her great-granddaughter is a librarian at Fisk University who shares the history of the Jubilee Singers with visitors. Although none graduated from Fisk, the original Jubilee Singers were recognized with honorary degrees in 1978. Today, Jubilee Singers at Fisk University continue to keep alive a rich musical tradition that includes such songs as “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” “Many Thousand Gone,” and “Go Down, Moses.”

In this stunning nonfiction volume, award-winning author Deborah Hopkinson weaves the stories of slaves, sharecroppers, and mill workers into a tapestry illuminating the history of cotton in America.In UP BEFORE DAYBREAK, acclaimed author Deborah Hopkinson captures the voices of the forgotten men, women, and children who worked in the cotton industry in America over the centuries. The voices of the slaves who toiled in the fields in the South, the poor sharecroppers who barely got by, and the girls who gave their lives to the New England mills spring to life through oral histories, archival photos, and Hopkinson's engaging narrative prose style. These stories are amazing and often heartbreaking, and they are imbedded deep in our nation's history.

Author Deborah Hopkinson traces the history of the cotton industry in America through the centuries. Using oral histories, she captures the voices of the forgotten men, women, and children who worked in the cotton industry, and lends poignancy, humor, and sorrow to the narratives of the slaves who toiled in the fields in the South, the poor sharecroppers who barely got by, and the girls who gave their lives to the New England mills.