Fifty Cents and a Dream: Young Booker T. Washington

I read this to my 2nd grade class while we were studying Booker T. Washington. The book explains the life of Booker T. Washington in a way that is appropriate for early elementary children. The illustrations show overlay of oil drawings and are very interesting to look at. There are also graphic and text features that explain how he traveled to various location on his lifepath. It would take about 10-15 minutes to read with a few stopping points for discussion. I recommend this book to add to your read-aloud list for history or learning about perseverance.

This book was very informative for a child and was beyond what was expected. My niece really enjoyed it!!

I expected this book to be great, given that it was illustrated by Bryan Collier, but even so it far exceeded my initial expectations! The text is beautifully written and inspiring. The illustrations were created using a watercolor collage technique. They are incredibly detailed and include so much symbolism that extends the story being told by the text. I know that my fourth grade students will enjoy hearing about the life of Booker T. Washington and learning about his incredible journey.

This was an easy read and a great source of information for a 1st grader, who was working on his first research project. I highly recommend this book.

My students and I read this book as a part of our Black History Month Unit and they loved it. They had so many intelligent questions about Booker T. and his life. This book sparked some very mature conversations about slavery and oppression in our 2nd and 3rd grade classroom.

I purchased this for my nephew along with other books. I think this is a great gift idea and it went over well with his parents.

Great and inspiring book for kids! Love, Love, Love this book and Booker T Washington. My daughter feels the same.

Beautiful pictures, lovely verse. Fabulous timeline at end. Makes history accessible to the younger crowd.

This book is well-written, inspiring and clear. I hope it would encourage students to find out more about Booker T Washington and also to feel inspired about the access to education they have.