The Legendary Miss Lena Horne
What's This Book About
Celebrate the life of Lena Horne, the pioneering African American actress and civil rights activist, with this inspiring and powerful picture book from award-winning author Carole Boston Weatherford. You have to be taught to be second class; you’re not born that way. Lena Horne was born into the freedom struggle, to a family of teachers and activists. Her mother dreamed of being an actress, so Lena followed in her footsteps as she chased small parts in vaudeville, living out of a suitcase until MGM offered Lena something more—the first ever studio contract for a black actress. But the roles she was considered for were maids and mammies, stereotypes that Lena refused to play. Still, she never gave up. “Stormy Weather” became her theme song, and when she sang “This Little Light of Mine” at a civil rights rally, she found not only her voice, but her calling.
What Kind of Book is The Legendary Miss Lena Horne
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Reviews
While this book tells an amazing story of a revered black singer and activist, it does mention things like lynchings, which may be too sensitive for young readers.
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The Creatives Behind the Book
Two-time NAACP Image Award winner Carole Boston Weatherford is a New York Times best-selling author and poet. Her books include the Coretta Scott King Honor Book Becoming Billie Holiday, and the Caldecott Honor Books Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, Freedom in Congo Square, and Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement. For career achievements, she has been recognized by the North Carolina English Teachers Association and the Children’s Book Guild of Washington, DC. She teaches at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina. Visit her online at CBWeatherford.com.
Elizabeth Zunon was born in Albany, New York, and grew up in on the Ivory Coast of West Africa. As a little girl, she loved to draw, paint, make up dances, and play dress-up, and as she grew up, she didn’t really change! Elizabeth now lives in Albany where she explores a multicultural world though painting, beading, sewing, and collage. Visit her at LizZunon.com.
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Book Details
- ISBN
- 9781481468244
- Publication Date
- January 24, 2017
- Publisher
- Atheneum Books for Young Readers
- Original Publication Date
- January 24, 2017
- Page Count
- 48
- Word Count
- 1583
- Audience
- Picture
- Reading Age
- 4 - 8 years
- Lib. of Congress (LCCN)
- 2016016139
- Lexile® Level
- 1010L
- Est. Fountas & Pinnell Level
- ~X
- ATOS® Book Level
- 5.7
- Accelerated Reader® Points
- 0.5
- Accelerated Reader Quiz
- 189375
- Accelerated Reader Interest Level
- LG
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