Becoming Billie Holiday facts for kids
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| Author | Carole Boston Weatherford |
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| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Country | United States |
| Genre | Children's poetry |
| Publisher | Wordsong |
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Publication date
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2008 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 117 |
| Awards | Coretta Scott King Award |
| ISBN | 978-1-59078-507-2 |
| OCLC | 51995 |
Becoming Billie Holiday is a poetry book for young readers. It was written by American poet Carole Boston Weatherford. Floyd Cooper created the illustrations. The book was first published in 2008 by Wordsong. In 2009, it won an honorary Coretta Scott King Award.
Contents
Discovering Billie Holiday's Story
This book uses poems to tell the story of Billie Holiday. It shows how Eleanora Fagan became the famous singer Billie Holiday. The poems are written as if Billie Holiday herself is telling her story. She talks about the first 25 years of her life.
Early Life and Challenges
The book starts with poems about Billie's childhood. It describes events like her father leaving. It also mentions her tomboy personality. She even spent some time in an orphanage with nuns.
Becoming a Singer
As she grew older, the poems cover her teenage years. You'll read about her first jazz singing job. She also decided to change her name to Billie Holiday. The book shows how she became famous. It also touches on the challenges she faced, like racism in the United States.
A Powerful Performance
The last poem describes a very important moment. Billie Holiday gave a memorable performance. She sang her famous song, "Strange Fruit," at the Café Society. This song became a symbol of fighting injustice. At the end of the book, you can find more information. There are suggestions for further reading. You can also read short biographies of other people mentioned in the poems.
Behind the Book: Carole Boston Weatherford's Inspiration
In the book's afterword, Carole Boston Weatherford shares her story. She grew up listening to jazz music with her father. As a teenager, she started listening to other popular music. But then she watched the movie Lady Sings the Blues in 1972. After that, she loved Billie Holiday's music. She started collecting all of Holiday's songs.
Connecting with Billie Holiday
Weatherford felt a strong connection to Billie Holiday's life. They both grew up in Baltimore. They both faced challenges, including racism. Before writing the poems, Weatherford listened to Billie Holiday's early songs for weeks. She also used historical records and Holiday's own autobiography. This helped her make sure the story was accurate.
The Author's Hope
Carole Boston Weatherford hoped her book would inspire readers. She wanted them to learn more about Billie Holiday. She also hoped the book would appeal to older readers too. Weatherford has written other books about jazz musicians.
How the Illustrations Were Made
Floyd Cooper created the beautiful illustrations for the book. He used a special technique. He would apply paint, then use an eraser to create shapes. This is called "subtractive drawing." He also used other oil-based materials on top. He applied them using a drybrush technique.
