Ray Charles

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, American Library Association (ALA)
Choices, Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Storytelling World Award, Storytelling World

A beautiful new edition of the award-winning biography of world-famous musician Ray Charles.

As a young boy he fell in love with music, and as a man, the world fell in love with his music. Ray Charles and his soulful, passionate rhythm and melodies have been embraced around the globe for decades. Now, in this beautiful new edition of the award-winning biography, readers can follow Charles from his boyhood, when he lost his sight completely and learned to read and write music in Braille, until the age of 40, when he had become a world-renowned jazz and blues musician. In a new introduction, the author updates Charles' life to the present day.

Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Published: 05/01/2001
Pages: 40
Weight: 0.35lbs
Size: 10.31h x 8.56w x 0.18d
ISBN: 9781584300182
Age: Ages 4-8

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.3
Point Value: 1
Interest Level: Lower Grade
Quiz #/Name: 66532 / Ray Charles


Award: Coretta Scott King Award - Winner


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 05/28/2001 pg. 90
Ingram Children's Advance 05/01/2001 pg. 45

About the Author

Sharon Bell Mathis has won numerous awards for her many children's books, including the 1974 Coretta Scott King Author Award for Ray Charles. Some of her most enduring books include The Hundred-Penny Box, a Newbery Honor Book, and Teacup Full of Roses, an ALA Notable Book. A full-time writer, Mathis lives in Ft. Washington, Maryland.

George Ford is an award-winning artist who has illustrated dozens of children's books, including several by noted authors such as Nikki Grimes, Eloise Greenfield, Nikki Giovanni, and Robert Coles. In 1974, he was the recipient of the first Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for Ray Charles. A lifelong jazz enthusiast, Ford lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife.