William Still and His Freedom Stories: The Father of the Underground Railroad

The remarkable, little-known story of William Still, known as the Father of the Underground Railroad from award-winning author-illustrator Don Tate.

William Still's parents escaped slavery but had to leave two of their children behind, a tragedy that haunted the family. As a young man, William went to work for the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society, where he raised money, planned rescues, and helped freedom seekers who had traveled north. And then one day, a strangely familiar man came into William's office, searching for information about his long-lost family. Could it be?

Motivated by his own family’s experience, William began collecting the stories of thousands of other freedom seekers. As a result, he was able to reunite other families and build a remarkable source of information, including encounters with Harriet Tubman, Henry "Box" Brown, and William and Ellen Craft.

Don Tate brings to life the incredible true story of William Still’s life and work as a record keeper of enslaved people who had fled to freedom. Tate’s powerful words and artwork are sure to inspire readers in this first-ever picture book biography of the Father of the Underground Railroad.

¡FUSHHH!: El chorro de inventos súper húmedos de Lonnie Johnson (Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson''s Super- Soaking Stream of Inventions)

Mientras trataba de crear un sistema de enfriamiento para refrigeradores, Lonnie Johnson inventó sin quererlo el mecanismo de este emblemático juguete. Cuando era niño le encantaban los cohetes, los robots, todo tipo de inventos y, sobre todo, la creatividad. Gracias a su pasión y persistencia por resolver problemas, llegó a ser ingeniero y a trabajar para la NASA. Pero dio el gran salto a la fama cuando inventó la Súper Pistola de Agua. Su historia es presentada aquí por Chris Barton, autor de éxitos de ventas del New York Times, e ilustrada por Don Tate¸ ganador de numerosos premios.
Now in Spanish, the true story of how childhood favorite and summer staple, the Super Soaker, was an unexpected invention.
Trying to create a new cooling system for refrigerators, inventor Lonnie Johnson instead created the mechanics for an iconic toy. As a kid, Lonnie Johnson loved rockets, robots, inventions, and creativity. With persistence and a passion for problem solving, he became an engineer and worked for NASA. But it is his invention of the Super Soaker water gun that has made his most memorable splash with kids and adults. Captured by New York Times best-selling author Chris Barton and award-winning illustrator Don Tate.

Author’s note. Full-color digital illustrations.

Carter Reads the Newspaper

Online resources. Bibliography. Author’s note. Illustrator’s note. List of Black leaders. Biographical time line. Quotation sources. Full-color mixed media illustrations.

No Small Potatoes: Junius G. Groves and His Kingdom in Kansas

Biographical time line. Glossary. Notes. Selected sources. Full-color mixed media illustrations.

Strong as Sandow: How Eugen Sandow Became the Strongest Man on Earth

Little Friedrich Müller was a puny weakling who longed to be athletic and strong like the ancient Roman gladiators.Inspired by his own experiences body-building, Don Tate tells the story of how Eugen Sandow changed the way people think about strength and exercise. Afterword. Exercise suggestions. Author's note. Bibliography. Quotation sources. Photographs. Full-color illustrations, created digitally.

Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions

Lonnie Johnson was testing an invention idea when he discovered a pump and nozzle combination that “would make a great water gun.” But for a long time, toy companies disagreed. Author’s note. Full-color digital illustrations.

Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton

2016 Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award Winner
As a boy, George Moses Horton taught himself to read, and “words loosened the chains of bondage.” During six decades of enslavement, he became a poet and the first African American published in the South. Bibliography. Author’s note. Full-color mixed-media illustrations were done in gouache, archival ink, pencil, and digitally.

The Cart That Carried Martin

“Ordinary mules for an ordinary funeral. . . . That was what he wanted.” A simple, borrowed cart and two mules transported Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s coffin. Author’s note. Information about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Full-color photograph and illustrations rendered in pencil and gouache.

She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story

Ron’s Big Mission

Ron is on one of his usual trips to find airplane books at the local library, but today is different. Today Ron will try to check out books for himself, and he knows it's not going to be easy. Sure enough, Ron encounters trouble at the checkout desk. "You know you can't check out books, Ron," says the clerk. "That's the rule. Only white people can check out books from the library." Based on an incident from astronaut Ron McNair's childhood. Author's note. Full-color illustrations.