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Past Present: Giving Past Stories New Life with Lesa Cline-Ransome

KidLit TV has a brand new show called Past Present: Giving Past Stories New Life hosted by author Lesa Cline-Ransome! In this series, Lesa will explore non-fiction story writing, share how we can learn about ourselves and find common bonds with people from the past.

1. What can people from the past teach us?
2. Where or how do we find common bonds?
3. How do you do research?
4. Where do you find ideas/subjects?

This first episode is all about the importance of knowing history. There are endless stories you can discover. Learn the importance of research and how Lesa uses it for her writing. How will you tell your story?

ABOUT THE BOOKS

Written by Lesa Cline-Ransome;illustrated by James Ransome
Louis Armstrong has been called the most important improviser in the history of jazz. Young Louis took it all in, especially the cornet blowing of  Joe “King” Oliver. But after a run in with the police, 11-year-old Louis was sent away to the Colored Waif’s Home for Boys where he became a disciplined musician in the school’s revered marching band. By the time he returned to his neighborhood, the “King” himself became his mentor and invited Armstrong to play with him in 

Written by Lesa Cline-Ransome;illustrated by James Ransome
Rosa and her mama go to school together-in the dark of night, silently, afraid that any noise they hear is a patroller on the lookout for escaped slaves. Their school is literally a hole in the ground, where they and other slaves of all ages gather to form letters out of sticks, scratch letters in the dirt, and pronounce their sounds in whispers. Young Rosa is eager to learn the letters and then the words, because after the words comes reading. But she must have patience, her mama reminds her, and keep her letters to herself when she’s working on the plantation. If the Master catches them, it’ll mean a whipping-one lash for each letter. No matter how slow and dangerous the process might be, Rosa is determined to learn, and pass on her learning to others

Written by Lesa Cline-Ransome;illustrated by James Ransome
This picture book biography chronicles the youth of Frederick Douglass, one of the most prominent African American figures in American history. Douglass spent his life advocating for the equality of all, and it was through reading that he was able to stand up for himself and others. Award-winning husband-wife team Lesa Cline-Ransome and James E. Ransome present a moving and captivating look at the young life of the inspirational man who said, “I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong.”

Written by Lesa Cline-Ransome;illustrated by James Ransome
A lush and lyrical biography of Harriet Tubman, written in verse and illustrated by an award-winning artist.We know her today as Harriet Tubman, but in her lifetime she was called by many names. As General Tubman she was a Union spy. As Moses she led hundreds to freedom on the Underground Railroad. As Minty she was a slave whose spirit could not be broken.

 ABOUT Lesa Cline-Ransome

Lesa Cline-Ransome is the writer of many picture books. Her picture book biography titles include Satchel Paige, Major Taylor, Champion Cyclist, Young Pele, Soccer’s First Star, Helen Keller, The World in Her Heart, Before There was Mozart and Words Set me Free: The Story of Young Frederick Douglass. Other titles are Quilt Alphabet, Quilt Counting and her newest is Light in the Darkness, A Story about How Slaves Learned in Secret. Originally from Malden, Massachusetts, Lesa has worked as a proofreader, fashion copywriter, publicist, teacher in the New York City Schools, and taught writing for adults. She has a B.F.A. in Merchandising and Management from Pratt Institute and an M.A. in Education from N.Y.U. She lives in Rhinebeck, New York and with her husband and frequent collaborator, illustrator James Ransome, four children and St. Bernard, Nola.

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