Corettas Song, Doreen Rappaport
Corettas Song, Doreen Rappaport
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Coretta's Song
The Life of Coretta Scott King

Author: Doreen Rappaport

Series: Big Words Book #13

Narrator: TBD

Unabridged: TBD

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/03/2026

Synopsis

A powerful biography of the influential civil rights leader and multitalented musician Coretta Scott King, with illustrations by Caldecott Honor winner Cozbi A. Cabrera.

Young Coretta Scott was a gifted musician, learning multiple instruments and breaking barriers to study music in college. Yet growing up in 1930s Alabama, she frequently felt the sting of racial injustice and even violence: when public school for Black children ended after sixth grade, when white neighbors burned down her father's house and lumber mill, and when Coretta was denied a student teaching job based on the color of her skin.

She met a minister named Martin Luther King, Jr., and the two were drawn together by a shared commitment to serving others and fighting against inequality. Alongside her husband, Coretta became an influential voice in the Civil Rights Movement, holding Freedom Concerts to spread awareness and raise funds, and carrying on a message of peace and nonviolent protest after Martin's assassination. 

In this inspiring addition to the acclaimed Big Words series, award-winning author Doreen Rappaport masterfully blends narrative with Coretta’s own words to share her remarkable story. With powerful illustrations by Caldecott Honoree Cozbi A. Cabrera, Coretta’s Song is a superb portrait of a woman whose voice changed America, and the world, forever.

Want to read more inspiring stories? Check out these Big Words books and many more!
Beacon of Hope: The Life of Barack Obama
Ellen Takes Flight: The Life of Astronaut Ellen Ochoa
Ruth Objects: The Life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

About Doreen Rappaport

Doreen Rappaport is the recipient of a Children’s Book Guild Nonfiction Award for her body of work. Her books have been praised for both their careful research and their varied literary styles. Among the many titles to her name are a trilogy on African-American history, illustrated by Shane W. Evans; books on Native American history and women’s history; and many biographies, including Lady Liberty: A Biography, illustrated by Matt Tavares.

Beyond Courage, her most ambitious project to date, took more than six years to research and write and presented her with the opportunity to speak directly with some of the survivors whose stories are told within. “How Jews organized themselves in order to survive and defy their enemy is an important but still neglected piece of history,” she says. “I present a sampling of actions, efforts, and heroism with the hope that I can play a role in helping to correct the damaging and persistent belief that Jews ‘went like sheep to the slaughter.’”

Doreen Rappaport lives in upstate New York.

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Quotes

* “Coretta’s integrity and perseverance through adversity will inspire all who pick this book up…. Every spread is packed with lush, evocative images with such an impressive variety of composition and color that readers will easily lose themselves. Triumphant.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Praise for Beacon of Hope: The Life of Barack Obama
* "A very successful biography that portrays a purpose-driven life fueled from Obama’s early years to the White House; the text captures the energy and passion of a man who broke barriers and changed history."—School Library Journal, starred review

* "The illustrations, done in oil glazes over an acrylic medium, are richly textured.... An excellent successor to the legacy of Big Words books, marked by titles that introduce young readers to sophisticated vocabulary and ideas."—Booklist, starred review

Praise for Ruth Objects

"Velasquez's arresting jacket portrait of Ginsburg, superimposed on a facsimile of the U.S. Constitution, conveys a woman of purpose; Rappaport's biography, largely focused on Ginsburg's work for gender equality, reinforces this first impression."—Horn Book

"Striking."—Booklist

"Insightful and fascinating."—Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Martin's Big Words

"Beginning with the startling cover, which contains only the face of Martin Luther King Jr., with his smile broad, and his eyes crinkled in laughter, this title intrigues. It’s an homage in words and pictures, in which the author weaves King’s words with her own to present a brief but stately portrait of the American hero....Readers will hear [King's] voice echo in this presentation."—Kirkus Reviews

“Weaving in Dr. King’s own 'big words,' this inspiring picture book biography celebrates this great leader as preacher and politician. Rappaport’s sparse narrative captures the essentials of the man, the Civil Rights movement he led, and his policy of non-violence. This is a great book to read aloud many times.”—Booklist

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