Books with author Pat McKissack

"Don’t wait for opportunities to come . . . get up and make them!" said Madam C. J. Walker. She rose from laundry woman to become America’s first black woman millionaire. Born in poverty, Walker set her sights on a better life and made her fortune by developing hair care and beauty products specially formulated for African Americans. As her wealth and influence grew, she also channeled her energies into working for civil rights and social change. This real-life rags-to-riches story comes to life in an engaging narrative by the McKissacks.

After having a book snatched from her little hand, Mary McLeod, the child of former slaves, resolved to learn to read. Many years later, with $1.50 in her pocket, Mary McLeod Bethune set out to make education a reality for other African Americans. The school she started in Florida is a legacy that continues her mission today. Bethune founded the National Council of Negro Women and was appointed to the National Youth Administration by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This inspiring, readable biography shows the power of determination and a dream.

Think of yourself as a time traveler, a visitor who has just gone back to a Virginia plantation in 1859 at Christmastime. The Big House is awash with light and color. Elegance and beauty dazzle your eyes at every turn. There's plenty of food and warm hospitality. But, the people seem uneasy. Listen to their conversations. They're talking about John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, slave insurrections, secession, and possible war! Now, take a walk to the slave Quarters. There is no grandeur here. The wretchedness is staggering. People live in cramped one-room cabins with dirt floors. Yet, there's a celebration going on - eating, singing, and dancing. Does this mean the slaves are happy and contented? No. Listen carefully to their songs and stories. They are mostly of the hope that freedom is coming soon! The events and customs we describe in the book are historically accurate. The conversations and dialogue are real; so is the setting. However, everything we use could not and would not have happened on one plantation. For this reason, we recreated a 'Big House' and 'Quarters' based on real people, events, and places located in Virginia, 1850. Why Virginia? Because, the Jamestown Colony is where the first American Christmas was observed, and where many of our present holiday traditions began. Remember while you're reading that this is more than a seasonal account. It is the story of a region and its people on the eve of a war. When that war ended, the great plantations were never the same (taken from the author's note).

Marian Anderson, with the power of her magnificent voice, triumphed over the racial barriers of her time. In a career that spanned four decades, she lifted herself out of poverty to become a world-famous singer. In this wonderful, easy text, the McKissacks show how the light of Marian Anderson grew bright and transformed her into one of the most beloved people around the world.