Carole Michele Weatherford ( Boston; born February 13, 1956) is an American author, critic, and poet. She has published over 50 children's books, primarily non-fiction and poetry. The music of poetry has fascinated Weatherford and motivated her literary career. She has won multiple awards for her books, including the 2022 Coretta Scott King Award for Author for her book Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre and the Children's Literature Legacy Award in 2025. As a critic, she is best known for her controversial criticism of Pokémon character Jynx and Dragon Ball character Mr. Popo.

Early life and education Carole Michele Boston was born February 13, 1956, in Baltimore to Joseph Alexander "Joe" Boston and Carolyn Virginia (Whitten) Boston. She began writing in first grade by dictating poems to her mother. Her father taught printing at a local high school and published his daughter's early works. As a child, she enjoyed reading Dr. Seuss and Langston Hughes.

Weatherford earned a Bachelor of Arts from American University in 1977, a Master of Arts publication design from the University of Baltimore in 1982, and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Career Boston Weatherford has held many positions before beginning her writing career, including as an English teacher (1978); a field representative for the American Red Cross (1978–79); creator, producer, and host of the Black Arts Review radio show (1979); Art Litho Co. account executive (1981); National Bar Association communications director (1981–85); B & C Associates, Inc. vice president and creative director (1985–88).

Weatherford published her first picture book, Juneteenth Jamboree, with Lee & Low Books in 1995; the book discusses a summer celebration in memory of the Texas Emancipation. She then wrote a series of board books for preschoolers. In 1998, she co-authored Somebody's Knocking at Your Door: AIDS and the African American Church, and then published a collection of poetry, The Tar Baby on the Soapbox. After establishing herself as a versatile writer for both children and adults, she published two nonfiction chapter books before penning her first award-winning children's book, The Sound That Jazz Makes (2001), a poem that traces the history of African-American music. The book won the 2001 Carter G. Woodson Book Award.

Since then, she has continued to write poetry, historical fiction, and nonfiction biographical works for children. She said in a 2008 interview that one of the most important poems she has written was Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom: "Those inspired words came together with Kadir Nelson's soulful paintings and Ellice Lee's brilliant art direction in a perfect publishing storm. Moses propelled my career to another level." Moses has won a Caldecott Award for illustration, as well as an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Children.

In 2008, Weatherford published her first poetic novel for young adults, Becoming Billie Holiday, about the development of the artist who she refers to as her muse.

Her book Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre, illustrated by Floyd Cooper and published by Carolrhoda Books, won both the Coretta Scott King Illustrator & Author awards in 2022. The novel was also a finalist for the Caldecott Medal and the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award.

In 2025, Weatherford won the Children's Literature Legacy Award for her substantial and lasting contributions to children's literature.

As an author, Weatherford acknowledges her calling "to mine the past for family stories, fading traditions and forgotten struggles." The books she writes, in poetry and prose, explore African-American history from a children's perspective and relate the past to new generations. Her works are often inspired by true events, many of which took place in the areas where she has lived. In her Author's Notes for each book, she includes a portion of the historical research from which her fiction or poetry emerged. In describing her purpose for writing to School Library Journal, in a 2008 interview: "I want the books that I write that are set during the Jim Crow era and the Civil Rights era to nudge today's kids toward justice. We've gone a long way, but we still have a long way to go."Margolis, Rick (January 1, 2008), "She Shall Overcome: Poet Carole Boston Weatherford", School Library Journal.

Weatherford eventually became a writer-in-residence at Fayetteville State University. In 2007, she received the position of associate professor teaching composition and children's literature.

Critical articles Weatherford has written multiple articles attacking what she identifies as stereotyped caricatures of black people in East Asian popular culture, with two of the more prominent ones being geared toward anime, and another aimed at the name of a toothpaste brand.

Pokémon

In January 2000, Weatherford wrote an op-ed piece that ran in newspapers across Alabama. "Politically Incorrect Pokémon" explained how she believed that Pokémon #124, Jynx, was a negative stereotype of African Americans:

In response to the controversy, Jynx's in-game sprites were given a purple skin color in the American versions of Pokémon Gold and Silver, released in late 2000. By 2002, Nintendo officially redesigned Jynx, changing its skin color from black to purple; this change was not reflected in the animated series until Jynx's purple skin appearance debuted in the episode "Mean With Envy!" (混戦、混乱！ポケモンコンテスト・キナギ大会！ （前編）), which originally aired in 2005, with the Amazon Prime release of "Holiday Hi-Jynx" recoloring Jynx accordingly, although it is still black on the thumbnail.

Dragon Ball

In an article published in The Christian Science Monitor in May 2000, Weatherford reiterated and expanded on her argument. Jynx had looked like "an obese drag queen" and she also offered Mr. Popo, a character from the Dragon Ball franchise, up for critique:

The Dragon Ball manga later released by Viz in 2003 had reduced the size of Mr. Popo's lips. Furthermore, media related to the series' sequel Dragon Ball Super showed an increase of black characters that strayed away from racist stereotypes, such as that of Goten and Trunks' classmates Rulah and Chok, and fewer references made to Mr. Popo (with the latest release Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero only indicating the character being off-screen).

Selected awards and honors Sixteen of Weatherford's books are Junior Library Guild selections: Before John Was a Jazz Giant (2008), Freedom in Congo Square (2016), Voice of Freedom (2016), In Your Hands (2017), Schomburg (2017), How Sweet the Sound (2018), The Roots of Rap (2019), Beauty Mark (2020), Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom (2020), By and By (2020), Unspeakable (2021), Call Me Miss Hamilton (2022), How Do You Spell Unfair? (2023), Kin (2023), Bros (2024), and Outspoken (2024).

Awards + Year Title Award Result 2001The Sound that Jazz MakesCarter G. Woodson Book Award (Elementary Level)NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Children2002Remember the BridgeNorth Carolina AAUW Award for Juvenile Literature2005Freedom on the MenuNorth Carolina AAUW Award for Juvenile Literature2006Dear Mr. RosenwaldGolden Kite Honor Award for Picture Book Text?2007NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – ChildrenMosesCaldecott MedalNAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Children2008Birmingham, 1963Jane Addams Children's Book Award for Book for Older ChildrenLee Bennett Hopkins Poetry AwardJefferson Cup Award2009Becoming Billie HolidayCoretta Scott King Award for Author Before John Was a Jazz Giant Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text2016Gordon ParksNAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – ChildrenVoice of FreedomBoston Globe–Horn Book Award for Non-fictionCaldecott MedalSibert Medal2017Freedom in Congo SquareCaldecott MedalCharlotte Zolotow AwardVoice of FreedomAudie Award for Young Listeners' Title2018SchomburgAAUW NC Award for Young People's LiteratureCarter G. Woodson Book Award (Middle Level)Golden Kite Award for Non-Fiction for Younger ReadersJefferson Cup AwardWalter Dean Myers Award for Young ReadersYALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction2021Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to FreedomNewbery MedalUnspeakableBoston Globe–Horn Book Award for NonfictionKirkus Prize for Picture BooksNational Book Award for Young People's Literature2022Caldecott MedalCarter G. Woodson Book Award (Middle Level)Coretta Scott King Award for Author and IllustratorKids' Book Choice Award for Book of the Year: 3rd to 5th GradeSibert Medal2023Me and the Family TreeMargaret Wise Brown Board Book Award for 18–36 monthsLambda Literary Award for Children's LiteratureStanding in the Need of PrayerBoston Globe–Horn Book Award for Picture Book2024How Do You Spell Unfair? Coretta Scott King Award for AuthorJane Addams Children's Book AwardJane Addams Children's Book AwardKin: Rooted in HopeClaudia Lewis Award for Poetry (Older Readers) from Children's Book Committee of Bank Street College of Education

Selected best "of" lists