illustrated by Olga Baumert
Picture Book Biography / Women’s Suffrage / Woman Poet
As a little girl growing up during the Civil War, Katharine Lee Bates grew up to become a poet, professor, and social activist. She not only wrote “America the Beautiful” but gave this anthem to America as a gift. A member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and a suffragist who stood up for a woman’s right to vote and lived to cast her ballot in presidential elections, Katharine believed in the power of words to make a difference. In “America the Beautiful,” her vision of the nation as a great family, united from sea to shining sea, continues to uplift and inspire us all.
PRAISE for For Spacious Skies:
Amazon ┃ Barnes & Noble
Interabang Books ┃ Bookshop.org
Deleted Scene from For Spacious Skies
by Nancy Churnin
This is not a finished scene, but the toughest thing that I had to leave out was that Katharine Lee Bates also wrote “Goody Santa Claus on a Sleigh Ride,” a poem about MRS. SANTA CLAUS! The female empowerment is wonderful as is the creation of Mrs. Claus. She saves the day by mending holes in stockings so that the toys don’t fall out. The irony, of course, is that Katharine hated sewing so much that when she was given dolls as a child, she would just plaster leaves on them for clothes rather than sew fabric together. I think Goody Santa Claus was a tribute to her widowed mother, who took in sewing as well as laundry, to help make the money that allowed Katharine to go to school. I look forward to sharing that story with kids on my school visits and, who knows, it may make it into another book!
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ONE WINNER receives signed copies of both For Spacious Skies and Beautiful Shades of Brown
TWO WINNERS each receive a signed copy of For Spacious Skies
VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:
| 4/16/20 | Notable Quotable | Book Fidelity |
| 4/16/20 | Review | Carpe Diem Chronicles |
| 4/17/20 | Book Trailer | KayBee’s Book Shelf |
| 4/18/20 | Review | Chapter Break Book Blog |
| 4/18/20 | Sneak Peek | Hall Ways Blog |
| 4/19/20 | Author Interview | StoreyBook Reviews |
| 4/20/20 | Review | Story Schmoozing Book Reviews |
| 4/21/20 | Playlist | Texas Book Lover |
| 4/21/20 | Review | That’s What She’s Reading |
| 4/22/20 | Author Interview | Tangled in Text |
| 4/23/20 | Guest Post | Max Knight |
| 4/23/20 | Review | All the Ups and Downs |
| 4/24/20 | Deleted Scene | Reading by Moonlight |
| 4/25/20 | Review | Forgotten Winds |
| 4/25/20 | Review | Jennifer Silverwood |
