John Lewis in the Lead

A Story of the Civil Rights Movement
By Jim Haskins, Kathleen Benson, Benny Andrews
Paperback: $12.95

A biography of John Lewis, one of the “Big Six” civil rights leaders of the 1960s, focusing on his involvement in Freedom Rides, the March on Washington, and the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

Front cover for La historia del héroe de los derechos civiles John Lewis by Kathleen Benson and Aaron Boyd; Aaron Boyd
This book is also available in Spanish
La historia del héroe de los derechos civiles John Lewis
By Kathleen Benson, Jim Haskins, Aaron Boyd, Enrique del Risco
Front cover for The Story of Civil Rights Hero John Lewis by Kathleen Benson and Aaron Boyd; Aaron Boyd
This book is also available in English
The Story of Civil Rights Hero John Lewis
By Kathleen Benson, Jim Haskins, Aaron Boyd

Description

How does an Alabama sharecropper’s son grow up to help change his world? For John Lewis the journey began as a boy experiencing the injustice of segregation and the inspiring words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

After high school Lewis joined with Dr. King and other civil rights leaders who believed in fighting segregation peacefully. From Nashville, Tennessee, to Selma and Montgomery, Alabama, Lewis was in the forefront of the major civil rights protests of the 1960s. In the face of physical attacks, he perservered with dignity and a devotion to nonviolence, helping southern black people gain the right to vote. Lewis continued his commitment to human rights with words and action from his home base in the South, straight to the nation’s capital. In 1986 John Lewis was elected to represent Georgia in the United States Congress, where he continues to serve today.

John Lewis in the Lead celebrates the life of a living legend of American history. Lewis’s passionate belief in justice is a beacon for all who wish to make the country a better place to live.

About the Creators

Jim Haskins

Jim Haskins was the celebrated author of more than one hundred books, most on topics of African American history and achievement. His works received numerous honors, including the Coretta Scott King Author Award and the Carter G. Woodson Award. In 1994, Haskins was the recipient of the Washington Post Children's Book Guild Award for a body of work in nonfiction for young people.

Kathleen Benson

Kathleen Benson long served as an educator, curator, and project manager at the Museum of the City of New York. With her late husband, Jim Haskins, she co-authored some twenty books for children, young adults, and adults. She lives in New York City. You can find her online at kathleenbenson.com.

Benny Andrews

Benny Andrews (1930-2006) was a renowned African American fine artist whose work is in the permanent collections of more than thirty major museums, including the Smithsonian Institution, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. His dramatic, folk art-style illustrations have also appeared in several children's books. He passed away in 2006.

Awards

  • Carter G. Woodson Award

    National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)

  • Best Children's Books of the Year Outstanding

    Bank Street College of Education

  • Children's Books of the Year

    Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

Reviews

  • "The authors offer a cogent account of the impressive leading role John Lewis, who has been serving as a U.S. Representative from Georgia for the past 20 years, played in the civil rights movement. The narrative incorporates intriguing vignettes. . . Andrews's [] folk art-style illustrations, rendered in oils and fabric collage, convey the tenacity and courage of Lewis and his colleagues as well as the fierce tensions of the time."

    - Publishers Weekly
  • "Haskins and Benson have written a lively, readable introduction to this important figure."

    - School Library Journal
  • "The authors follow Lewis (twenty-year veteran in Congress) from his student years as an aspiring minister and admirer of Martin Luther King Jr. to his leading role in the Selma-to-Montgomery marches of 1964. The authors' spare, understated narration renders the courage of Lewis and his fellow nonviolent protesters even more telling. Andrews' expertly composed oils and fabric collages enhance the drama."

    - The Horn Book
  • "Born in a sharecropper family in the segregated South in 1940, John Lewis grew up to lead many protests for civil rights, and he has served in Congress for the last 20 years. In this handsome picture book for older readers, the authors blend information on Lewis' political contributions with the history of the civil rights struggle. . . Without sensationalizing, this shows the bravery of the activists and the difficult fight they faced. A time line, a selection of black-and-white photos and a bibliography are appended."

    - Booklist

Hardcover

  • ISBN 9781584302506
  • Price $17.95
  • Publication Date Oct 01, 2006
  • Trim Size N/A
  • Weight 0.4375 lbs
  • Word Count 2598
  • Paperback

  • ISBN 9781600608490
  • Price $12.95
  • Publication Date Oct 01, 2006
  • Trim Size 11 × 8.375 × 1 in
  • Weight 0.3125 lbs
  • Page Count 40
  • Word Count 2598
  • Interests

  • Imprint Lee & Low Books
  • Audience Children
  • BISAC Category 1 JNF / Biography & Autobiography / Social Activists
  • BISAC Category 2 JNF / Social Science / Politics & Government
  • BISAC Category 3 JNF / History / United States / 20th Century
  • Themes African / African American / Black, Biography / Memoir, Civil Rights Movement, Conflict resolution, Courage, Discrimination, Dreams & Aspirations, Education, History & Civics, Informational / Expository Nonfiction, Leadership, Nonfiction, Optimism / Enthusiasm, Overcoming Obstacles, Persistence / Grit, Pride, Protest, Respect / Citizenship, Self Control / Self Regulation, Social Justice & Activism, United States History
  • Reading Levels

  • Age Range Ages 8 - 13
  • Grade Range Grades 3 - 8
  • Guided Reading V
  • Spanish Guided Reading Y
  • ATOS Book Level 5.9
  • DRA 50
  • Interest Level Grades 3 - 8
  • Lexile Level 950
  • Reading Level Grades 3 - 4
  • SRC 5.8
  • Bebop Reading Fluent
  • This Book is Included in These Collections:

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