Ep. 91 - Carole Boston Weatherford: Writing History, a Roadmap for Young Readers

Written By Michon Boston
Color book covers for "Moses," "How Sweet the Sound," The Roots of Rap," and "Schumburg," all by Carole Boston Weatherford

Books by Carole Boston Weatherford

Download Episode 91
Download Episode 91 
Ep. 91 is also available on Apple Podcast | YouTube | iHeart

To kick off our annual “From Page to Screen” book picks, we invited one of the authors, Carole Boston Weatherford, to join us in a conversation about writing history for children. Carole shares her journey into writing history for young readers, emphasizing the importance of diverse narratives. She describes her research process, including using primary sources and visiting historical sites. 

Carole also discusses her book Kin: Rooted in Hope, a multi-generational family history, and addresses the significance of telling African American stories to foster empathy and understanding. It’s a book that has special meaning being her family story and a collaboration with her son Jeffery Boston Weatherford, the book’s illustrator.

KIN: ROOTED IN HOPE

Kin: Rooted In Hope, is one of the 2026 “From Page to Screen” books for Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters®. Also look for Black Hands: Builders of a Nation by Carole Boston Weatherford in our Revolution To Rights: America at 250 bookshelf. Black Hands was written for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. 


“I say to parents who participate in book bans or advocate book bans,children are not too tender for tough topics….”
— Carole Boston Weatherford

GUEST

CAROLE BOSTON WEATHERFORD

Carole Boston Weatherford has written 90 books (and counting) for children and youth about Americans who broke barriers and advanced freedom movements in U.S.history. 

Carole Boston Weatherford’s’s books have garnered 2 NAACP Image Awards and 18 American Library Association Youth Media Awards, including a Newbery Honor, Coretta Scott King Award and 4 Caldecott Honors. Her career achievements have been recognized with the North Carolina Award for Literature, the Nonfiction Award from the Children’s Book Guild and induction into the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame. A retired English professor, she lives in Baltimore, MD and collaborates with her son, Jeffery Boston Weatherford, an accomplished artist and award-winning illustrator. 

Connect with Carole Boston Weatherford: Website | Facebook

SIGN UP! and receive notices about new podcast episodes, additional information about the topics, bonus episodes and upcoming events delivered to your mailbox.
SIGN UP! and receive notices about new podcast episodes, additional information about the topics, bonus episodes and upcoming events delivered to your mailbox.

SHOP THE PODCAST in our online affiliate bookstore

Click on the book covers to order one or more of the 9 book picks we selected for our 2026 “From Page to Screen” from our affiliate bookstore. Book purchases support production of the podcast through a small commission and independent book sellers via bookshop[dot]org.

Listen to the podcasts that inspired our selections for 2026 Summer Reads

Featured
Ep. 91 - Carole Boston Weatherford: Writing History, a Roadmap for Young Readers
Ep. 91 - Carole Boston Weatherford: Writing History, a Roadmap for Young Readers

To kick off our annual “From Page to Screen” book picks, The Boston Sisters talk with one of the authors, Carole Boston Weatherford about writing history for children. Carole shares her journey into writing history for young readers, emphasizing the importance of diverse narratives. She describes her research process, including using primary sources and visiting historical sites. 


Ep. 90 | MRS. AMERICA - ERA & Two Women’s Movements (Part 2/2)
Ep. 90 | MRS. AMERICA - ERA & Two Women’s Movements (Part 2/2)

In episode 90 (part 2) The Boston Sisters talk with Marjorie J. Spruill, historian and author of “Divided We Stand” — a key resource for the creation of the 2020 FX miniseries MRS. AMERICA — about the rise of Phyllis Schlafly, and the two women’s movements that emerged from the 1977 National Women’s Conference in Houston, TX that continue to feed the political discourse and its divisions today. We also get an update on the current status of the ERA.

Ep. 89 | MRS. AMERICA - ERA & Two Women’s Movements (Part 1/2)
Ep. 89 | MRS. AMERICA - ERA & Two Women’s Movements (Part 1/2)

In episode 89, The Boston Sisters talk with Marjorie J. Spruill, historian and author of “Divided We Stand,” a key resource for the creation of the 2020 FX miniseries MRS. AMERICA about the battle for women’s rights and the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). In part 1 we explore the history of ERA from its suffragist origins, its ties to labor history, and the bipartisan support it received until the unexpected backlash from conservative women led by Phyllis Schlafly (Cate Blanchett).

Ep. 87 - THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO - Revenge is Bittersweet
Ep. 87 - THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO - Revenge is Bittersweet

Is THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO a story of revenge or justice? The Boston Sisters talk with Norman Allen, an award-winning playwright and minister of the First Parish in Portland (ME) about a new adaptation of Alexandre Dumas classic story of revenge premiering in the U.S. on PBS MASTERPIECE featuring Sam Claflin as Edmund Dantes.

Ep. 82 - JANE AUSTEN ADAPTED (Part 3) - Making Historical Sense and Cultural Sensibility
Ep. 82 - JANE AUSTEN ADAPTED (Part 3) - Making Historical Sense and Cultural Sensibility

In episode 82, the Boston Sisters talk with award-winning author Vanessa Riley about her experience as the historical and cultural consultant for the Hallmark Channel’s 2024 adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. Vanessa Riley also talks about the research for her historical novels, Queen of Exiles and Island Queen based on the lives of Marie Louise Christophe, Haiti's only queen; and Dorothy “Doll” Kirwan Thomas, a formerly enslaved woman who became a wealthy entrepreneur in the Caribbean in the 1800s. The podcast is the final episode in a 3-part miniseries, JANE AUSTEN ADAPTED, commemorating the 250th anniversary Jane Austen’s birth.

Return to Front Page
Return to Front Page
Michon Boston

Writer, Impact Producer and strategist for documentary and narrative films

Next

Ep. 90 | MRS. AMERICA - ERA & Two Women’s Movements (Part 2/2)