Kin: Rooted in Hope -- Adventures in Learning with Award-Winning Mother-Son Author-Illustrator Team Carole Boston Weatherford and Jeffery Boston Weatherford

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Meet author/illustrator team Carole Boston Weatherford and Jeffery Boston Weatherford (also mother and son). Carole has authored 70+ books, including award winning Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre;  Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom;  and All Rise: The Story of Ketanji Brown Jackson. Jeffery's beautiful illustrations can be found in  We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices and  You Can Fly: The Tuskegee Airman.  On this episode, we  celebrate the book birthday of their new, incredibly powerful joint venture Kin: Rooted in Hope ( I devoured it in one sitting), and we talk about how this duo brings nonfiction to life.

[01:20]:  We discuss their experience collaborating as a mother-son duo.

[03:01]:  Carole talks about their long history of collaboration and how working on books is different from everyday tasks.

[03:30]:  We  discuss the genesis of Kin: Rooted in Hope.

[04:46]: Carole and Jeffery discuss their family's ancestral farm and the inspiration behind Kin.

[06:15]: Carole discusses the research process for Kin and shares some surprising discoveries she made along the way.

[12:48]:  Carole reads a poem about Prissy Copper and explains its significance.

[14:55]: Jeffery discusses his approach to illustrating the book.

[19:40]: We reflect on how Kin provides  a rich context for understanding the lives of enslaved people.

[21:10] : Jeffery discusses his technique and the inspiration behind specific illustrations.

[26:54]:  Jeffery shares an illustration of Frederick Douglass and its significance.

[28:07]: Carole highlights some of her favorite illustrations and their emotional impact.

[31:38]:  Carole expresses the hope that readers will understand the value of preserving family stories and heritage. 

[34:33] Carole talks about her childhood and how her parents, both educators, nurtured her interests in poetry and visual arts.

[35:41] Jeffery discusses how his mother recognized his artistic talent and encouraged his journey in the arts.

[37:21] Dr. Diane shares the story of Archie Williams, the first African American meteorologist in the United States.

[38:49] They discuss their involvement in STEM education, including hip hop workshops and a project about artist MC Escher, inspired by mathematics.

[42:03] Carole discusses her criteria for choosing subjects

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*Disclosure: I am a Bookshop.org. affiliate.