Poet

Award-winning author-illustrator Don Tate celebrates the first southern Black writer to be published in this first-ever picture book biography of George Moses Horton.
George loved words, but he was also enslaved. Forced to work long hours, he was unable to attend school or learn how to read. But he was determined―he listened to the white children's lessons and learned the alphabet. Then he taught himself to read.
Soon, he began composing poetry in his head and reciting it aloud as he sold fruits and vegetables on a nearby college campus. News of the enslaved poet traveled quickly among the students, and before long, George had customers for his poems. But George was still enslaved. Would he ever be free?
In this powerful biography, Don Tate tells an inspiring and moving story of talent and determination.