Oprah: The Little Speaker

by Carole Boston Weatherford, London Ladd (Illustrator)

At age three, Oprah began performing in churches, becoming known to adoring crowds as the Little Speaker. When she was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, she answered, “I want to be paid to talk.” Here is the story of Oprah Winfrey’s childhood, a story about a little girl on a Mississippi pig farm who grew up to be the “Queen of Talk.” The host of the Emmy Award–winning Oprah Winfrey Show , she currently directs a media empire that includes television and movie productions, magazines, a book club, and radio shows. An author’s note is included.

Genres: Biography, Picture Books, Nonfiction, Childrens, Biography Memoir, Kids, African American

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2010

About the author

Carole Boston Weatherford is a children's book author and poet who mines the past for family stories, traditions, and struggles. A number of CAROLE's books tell the stories of African-American historical figures such as Harriet Tubman, Jesse Owens, and Billie Holiday. Other books recount historical events such as the Greensboro Sit-ins and the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. CAROLE's books have received a wide variety of awards, including a Caldecott Honour for “Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People To Freedom”.

Reviews

[Kerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this picture book about Oprah's childhood. I liked the overriding message of God's plan for her life. It is also important for young children to have picture book biographies of important peoples' lives. She is definitely an inspiring woman and worthy of being the subject of many books. And although I thought this picture book to be nice and cute, it was not as engaging as I had hoped. I especially didn't like how it ended...seemed a bit contrary to the overall message, and a bit smug. The illustrations were beautiful but again I expected the girl to actually look a bit more like the childhood Oprah photos that I have seen. Overall, I liked it (thus the 3 stars), and if you're an Oprah fan you should read it. A good, but not great, picture book for children.

[Jordan Kinser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book describes Oprah's (yes, that Oprah) humble beginnings as little girl growing up in a Mississippi pig farm. She was known as the Little Speaker because she read/spoke so beautifully in church. She wasn't always a popular person, and she didn't have it easy, but as we know, she grew up to be one of the most rich and powerful people in the world. This book would be great for teaching that you can be anything you want to be, and showing that biographies can be interesting (not just about old dead people).

Grade: 2-4
Genre: Biography

[Christina Getrost · Rating 1 out of 5]

nothing against Oprah, this just didn't appeal to me and I thought it was blah.

[Lorna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A not very satisfying look at Oprah's first six years.

[Amanda Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give this book a 5 star because I like how I got to learn about Oprah Winfrey's preschool years. She lives with her grandparents in a run-down house in Mississippi. The house has no indoor plumbing, but has an outhouse outside. When Oprah does her chores she goes shoeless but when she goes to church she wears her church shoes. Oprah's grandmother would read her Bible to her and taught her reading, writing and arithmetic. Oprah loved to read and give speeches. When people ask her what she wanted to be when she grows up she would say, "I want to be paid to talk."

[Mother Goose Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weatherford has written a picture book memoir of Oprah. It captures a brief period of her childhood and how she got her start as a public speaker. Readers also get a glimpse into Oprah’s personality and learn about her strength and determination. Ladd’s artwork incorporates realistic illustrations for readers to observe Oprah’s early days as a child, pairing with Weatherford’s inspiring words. If you are looking to learn about Oprah’s early childhood days or wanting to share a picture book memoir about a woman who dared to dream,you’ll want to read Oprah: The Little Speaker.

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Growing up in the rural south, Oprah Winfrey figured out at a very early age that she wanted to earn a living by being paid to talk. This was interesting, but there wasn't really a story. It's more like: Here's the environment Oprah grew up in and here's a couple of things that happened. It's the first ten minutes of a movie. If we had the rest of the movie, I wouldn't notice, but by itself, it doesn't stand alone.

[Kris Dersch · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for a full biography, this isn't your book. This is about Oprah's childhood and focuses on how her childhood informed what she became later.
What was striking to me is the similarities in her life story to that of Maya Angelou, who was a close friend of hers. It really helps give context to her life, which is what kid's nonfiction picture books do for me so often. And I like that it leaves us right there, in her childhood, as a dreamer, getting ready to take on the world.

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Text: 2 stars
Illustrations: 3 stars

Very incomplete picture book biography of Oprah Winfrey. A short author's note in the front of the book briefly mentions Oprah's accomplishments, but the body text stops while she is still a child, daydreaming about success. There is no discussion of her hard work or how she has achieved so much. No bibliography.

[wildct2003 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Learned about Oprah's early life.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating look at Oprah’s youth, this is a great book for Oprah Winfrey’s fans.

[Carol Gordon Ekster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and gorgeously illustrated. A perfect snippet of Oprah's life to let children know they should dream big. It just might come true!

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a picture book intended to uplift children and inspire them to be the people they feel they are instead of the people others seem to want them to be. Oprah Winfrey is a young child living on a small farm in Mississippi. Her family doesn't have a lot of money. They have an outhouse for toilets and had to bring water to the house as there was no indoor plumbing. Her family lacked money for goods but she felt special in church and religion was very important to her. Something that she always like to do was talk. She spoke when she wasn't supposed to and when she could. A lack of kids to play with meant that she mostly spent time on the farm taking care of animals. Her ambitions were to get a job where she could talk a lot and to other people. As we know, Oprah got her dream job. There is also mentioned that she could write in Kindergarten and was moved up to the first grade which made her very proud and she learned to read and write well. Children and families who look up to Oprah for her achievements will love this book and it is inspiring for all children.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oprah Winfrey, raised by her grandmother in poverty, discovered reading and giving speeches at a young age. With church and the bible to protect her, she found her passion for talking early in life. The paintings in this book are beautiful, though Oprah's look changes a bit from page to page. While the story is based on facts, there is not enough information included for report writing. Young students may enjoy this book but beyond grades 1 and 2, it's just too simple. I would skip this title for the school library collection unless it's a title that will be particularly attractive to the student population.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea how far Oprah came to become a talk show host/media mogul. She grew up in relative poverty. Yet she seemed to know from an early age what she wanted to do with her life. Weatherford does an impressive job sharing the story of Oprah Winfrey here. Even though I'm one of those oddballs that never watched an episode of Oprah while it was on the air, I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't impressed with all this book revealed about her. It's amazing that someone with such humble beginnings was able to make herself into the giant of the entertainment industry that she is. Really a worthwhile read, especially if you don't know the story already. Well done.

[Johna Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weatherford tells the story of young Oprah Winfrey as a means of encouraging children to trust in their dreams despite how other people may critique them. The use of God and religion in the book may not be suitable for the classroom setting due to diversity and culture amongst the students. For children in third grade, this book can be used as a helpful resource during biographies and black history reports on Ms. Oprah Winfrey.

[Children's Literature Project · Rating 3 out of 5]

Accelerated Reading Level 4.2

This book is about Oprah Winfrey's childhood. She was raised by her grandmother in Mississippi. They were living in poverty, but Oprah always knew that one day she wanted to be paid to talk. She started public speaking in local churches.

This book is great for grades K-3.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its disjointed prose really means that this is a poem, and it's very nicely done and very God-centered. The illustrations are nice, as well. The story is all about Oprah's childhood and how it and her own strengths and convictions shaped her future.

[Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's sad that Oprah did not grow up with her mom. I'm glad that I can grow up with my mom. But God was watching over Oprah. It says how God feels in this book! Her grandma taught her everything she knew.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite, but I had NO CLUE this was Oprah's past. Didn't realize kids thought she was a show off. Also didn't realize this was a possible way of life for people my mom's age.

[Memory]

im not done this book but i can tell the ending could be good