This Is the Dream

Our nation was founded on the belief that all men are created equal. Nearly two hundred years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, slavery had been abolished but America was still segregated.

Then: Enter the students who marched into the first desegregated school, the passengers who boycotted the buses, and the leaders who stood up and spoke out. When they started, it was all just a dream. . . .

Through striking, powerful verse and gorgeous, detailed illustrations, this is the dream catalogs the American experience before, during, and after the civil rights movement. Come along on this incredible journey, and see how far we've come in attaining freedom and justice for all.

Diane Z. Shore is an award-winning children’s author and read-aloud advocate. Her books have been translated into many languages. Diane loves to visit schools, and she travels across the US inspiring the most reluctant kids to read and the most hesitant students to write. She lives in Georgia with her husband and cat. You can visit her online at dianezshore.com.

Diane Z. Shore and Jessica Alexander have collaborated on several children's books, including This Is the Dream and This Is the Game. One thing they have learned while cowriting stories is that when people work together, great things can happen. Both authors live with their families in metro Atlanta, Georgia.

James Ransome has illustrated more than fifty books for children. His titles include The Creation by James Weldon Johnson, winner of the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award; Uncle Jed’s Barbershop by Margaree King Mitchell, a Coretta Scott King Honor Book; and My Name Is Truth: The Life of Sojourner Truth by Ann Turner. He lives in New York State and teaches illustration at Syracuse University. See more of his work at www.jamesransome.com.