Great writing is both an individual and a collaborative effort for Patricia and Frederick McKissack. This husband and wife team has won numerous awards and accolades for their nonfiction and fiction alike. Though they've been a team for many years, writing has not always been the focus of their efforts.
Friends since their teen years, Fred McKissack and Patricia Carwell both graduated from Tennessee State University, he with a degree in Civil Engineering and she with one in English. The couple married in 1964 and have raised three sons.
In-depth research and richness of text and imagery, are the hallmarks of the McKissacks' joint writing ventures. Works by Patricia and Frederick McKissack have won the Coretta Scott King Award, the Coretta Scott Honor, the Newbery Honor, the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award and many others.
Frederick and Patricia have each authored adult biographies and nonfiction works. While still a teacher, Patricia published a biography of Paul Lawrence Dunbar. Frederick has written about such topics as Frederick Douglass, his wife's idol, and the Civil Rights Movement.
Historical fiction and nonfiction for youth however, are the genres in which this team has been most prolific. Stories of slavery and the experiences of African-Americans throughout this nation's history have been the authors' primary focus.
In "Sojourner Truth: Ain't I A Woman?", which was a Horn Book Award winner, the McKissacks detail the life of abolitionist and feminist, Sojourner Truth. Truth was an activist and preacher, who though she could not read, was able to quote the Bible word-for-word.
Published in 1994, "Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters" details the lives of pre-Civil War Southerners as they prepare for and celebrate Christmas festivities, both in the plantation house and in the slave quarters. This magnificent book was awarded the Coretta Scott King Award in 1995.
An African-American history of baseball begins with the Negro Leagues; the McKissacks delve into the sport and its beginnings in "Black Diamond". This book will delight sports enthusiasts and may encourage reluctant readers when it is too wet outside to play.
Patricia McKissack has also written several picture books, among them "The Honest-To-Goodness-Truth". A delight for younger readers, this work rings true as Libby Louise, ashamed of telling a fib to her Mama, learns that telling the truth without care is sometimes just as hurtful as telling a lie.
Frederick and Patricia McKissack have spent many years as life partners and as writing partners. They bring to children's literature a warm and insightful look at history, especially from the viewpoint of African-American pioneers in science, education, sports, and more. This collaborative team are themselves pioneers, in the field of quality, award-winning multi-cultural literature for children of all ages.
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