Your Life Matters

by Chris Singleton, Taylor Barron (Illustrator)

Overview

“Equal parts homage to Black historical and contemporary figures and a reminder of the greatness that lives within each Black child, this is a title for every collection.” —School Library Journal, starred review

“. . . shines in its positive messaging to children . . . . A welcome addition to any Black Lives Matter collection.” —Booklist

A 2022 Notable Social Studies Trade Book (NCSS-CBC)

Empowering and validating, Your Life Matters reassures Black children everywhere that no matter what they hear, no matter what they experience, no matter what they're told, their lives matter. Written by national speaker Chris Singleton, who lost his own mother in the 2015 Charleston church shooting, Your Life Matters teaches kids to stand tall in the face of racial adversity and fight for the life they dream of. Each page depicts a famous hero from Black history mentoring a child of today and encouraging them to use their mind, heart, voice, and hands in that fight.

Hero-mentors in the book include: Maya Angelou, Jackie Robinson, Martin Luther King, Jr., Aretha Franklin, Katherine Johnson, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglas, Mary McLeod Bethune, George Washington Carver, and others. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781952239311
Publisher:	Bushel & Peck Books
Publication date:	03/09/2021
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	913,484
Product dimensions:	8.20(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	520L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Chris Singleton is an inspirational speaker and former professional baseball player who travels the country as a student achievement specialist. Chris has spoken to over 60,000 students and teachers across the nation and has helped thousands of students and teachers overcome hardships and excel in the classroom. Chris’s speech on overcoming hate with love has been seen or shared millions of times and has gotten him featured on Lifetime, ESPN E:60, USA Today, CNN, and Fox News. Chris is a proud father of his son, CJ, and a proud husband to his high school sweetheart, Mariana.

Taylor Barron is an artist from Seattle, Washington. Her clients have included Dreamworks, Pamelyn Rocoo/The Collective Studio, and others.

Interviews

• Author Chris Singleton is a former professional baseball player and a national youth speaker who teaches about race and acceptance. His mother was killed in the 2015 Charleston church shooting. Chris has appeared on Today, Lifetime, ESPN E:60, USA Today, CNN, and Fox News.
• National marketing and publicity plan
• Chris speaks hundreds of times a year all over the United States
• Bold, powerful illustrations depict children being mentored by famous Black heroes: Jackie Robinson, Aretha Franklin, Martin Luther King, Jr., Katherine Johnson, Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman, and other
• A validating, empowering book needed now more than ever

Editorial Reviews

★ 06/01/2021

PreS-Gr 1—An engaging text to introduce conversations about race with young readers. Children absorb the messaging from the world around them, and in these volatile times, and Black children may feel a heightened sense of despair and question the value of their own lives. This book makes that question palpable; in one scene, a Black mother is comforting her daughter as they watch the news alongside the passage, "Headlines glow. Sirens wail. A question presses in the dark: 'Does my life matter?'" Readers quickly learn the answer. Yes, Black children's lives matter. Singleton's heartening text and Barron's rich jewel-tone illustrations are inspiring. Each illustration features one or more of ten Black heroes—Katherine Johnson, George Washington Carver, and Jackie Robinson, among them—uplifting a child and showing them the power in their strength, voice, courage, hands, words, and heart. No matter the ills of the world, Black children are "beautifully wonderfully made." Back matter helps readers identify and learn more about the heroes. VERDICT Equal parts homage to Black historical and contemporary figures and a reminder of the greatness that lives within each Black child, this is a title for every collection.—Maegen Rose, Rye Country Day Sch., NY

School Library Journal