Books with author Fredrick McKissack McKissack

For more than a thousand years, from A.D. 500 to 1700, the medieval kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay grew rich on the gold, salt, and slave trade that stretched across Africa. Scraping away hundreds of years of ignorance, prejudice, and mythology, award-winnnig authors Patricia and Fredrick McKissack reveal the glory of these forgotten empires while inviting us to share in the inspiring process of historical recovery that is taking place today.

For more than a thousand years, from A.D. 500 to 1700, the medieval kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay grew rich on the gold, salt, and slave trade that stretched across Africa. Scraping away hundreds of years of ignorance, prejudice, and mythology, award-winnnig authors Patricia and Fredrick McKissack reveal the glory of these forgotten empires while inviting us to share in the inspiring process of historical recovery that is taking place today.

"Music has been in my blood from the day I was born," said Louis Armstrong. He rose from a troubled childhood and a life of poverty to set the music world on fire. Armstrong's lively trumpet playing, trademark "scat" singing, and natural talent for showmanship dazzled audiences for more than fifty years. In clear, crisp prose, the McKissacks place Armstrong in American musical history and show the impact his extraordinary talent made throughout the world.

Carter G. Woodson, born just ten years after the Civil War ended, grew up in the lingering shadow of slavery. Woodson became a scholar dedicated to learning, teaching, and writing about the history of his people. Today, because of the efforts of this one man, Black History Month is celebrated annually and African-American history is a well-respected field of study. The McKissacks bring this pioneering historian to life for another generation of budding young scholars.

"Music has been in my blood from the day I was born," said Louis Armstrong. He rose from a troubled childhood and a life of poverty to set the music world on fire. Armstrong's lively trumpet playing, trademark "scat" singing, and natural talent for showmanship dazzled audiences for more than fifty years. In clear, crisp prose, the McKissacks place Armstrong in American musical history and show the impact his extraordinary talent made throughout the world.

Despite being a slave, Frederick Douglass (1818?–1895) learned to read and write. At age 21, he escaped from slavery and created a new life for himself as a free man. Intelligent and charismatic, Douglass became the leading voice against slavery in the 1800s. "There is no way a nation can call itself free and accept slavery," he said. The McKissacks’ lively, easy-to-read text highlights the importance of this internationally known author and orator.

George Washington Carver spent his life asking questions and looking for the answers. He gained a reputation as the farmers' best friend after teaching about crop rotation. He told farmers to grow peanuts and sweet potatoes to "rest" their soil between cotton crops. And what could they do with all those peanuts? Carver developed more than 300 peanut-based products—from milk to printers' ink—and more than 100 ways to use sweet potatoes. Young children love the story of this exceptional inventor.