George was born into slavery near the beginning of the 19th century and from the beginning he loved words. He longed to read, but it was not permitted for slaves to do so. When he came upon an old spelling book, George pored over the pages and, little by little, he taught himself how to sound out words. After that, he read everything he could get his hands on and found that what he especially loved was poetry. Soon George began to write his own poems, and had to keep them in his head because there was no way for him to write them down. The incredible story of how George Moses Horton came to be a published poet—with two books published while he was still enslaved—is told with grace both in words and illustrations. (Ages 5–9)

 George loved words. But George was enslaved.

Forced to work long hours, George 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 as he sold fruits and vegetables on a nearby college campus. News of the slave 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 of George Moses Horton, the first southern African-American man to be published, Don Tate tells an inspiring and moving story of talent and determination.