Imagine learning to read at the age of 116! Discover the true story of Mary Walker, the nation’s oldest student who did just that, in this picture book from a Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator and a rising star author. In 1848, Mary Walker was born into slavery. At age 15, she was freed, and by age 20, she was married and had her first child. By age 68, she had worked numerous jobs, including cooking, cleaning, babysitting, and selling sandwiches to raise money for her church. At 114, she was the last remaining member of her family. And at 116, she learned to read. From Rita Lorraine Hubbard and rising star Oge More comes the inspirational story of Mary Walker, a woman whose long life spanned from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement, and who–with perseverance and dedication–proved that you’re never too old to learn.
This remarkable Black History and Women’s History Month book can be used in speech therapy to address social/emotional issues like survival, slavery, freedom, learning and persistence. It is also great for character analysis, sequencing, illustration study and for targeting verbs (mental state) and sounds including: /r/ initial, /m/ initial, /l/ initial, /er/ and /air/! Discover more of the speech and language teaching concepts for using The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read in speech therapy below:
