About the Author

REN E WATSON is the author of the children's picture book,A Place Where Hurricanes Happen(Random House, June 2010), which was featured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. Her middle grade novel,What Momma Left Medebuted as the New Voice for 2010 in middle grade fiction by The Independent Children's Booksellers Association. Reneehas worked as a teaching-artist for more than 10 years, teaching creative writing and theater to elementary, middle, and high school students. She also uses writing and drama therapy to work with youth and adults. Renee lives in New York, NY.

Christian Robinson is "one of the most exciting children's book artists working today," according to theNew York Times. He received a Caldecott Honor forLast Stop on Market Streetby Matt de la Pena, which was also a Newbery Medal winner and aNew York TimesBestseller. He also illustratedRain!by Linda Ashman, winner of the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award, andJosephineby Patricia Hruby Powell, recipient of aBoston Globe-Horn BookHonor and a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor. He lives in San Francisco. Learn more at TheArtOfFun.com.

Reviews

Starred Review, Booklist, June 2012:
“With a text that stylistically sings yet is packed with information, the book introduces a woman who, though part of the Harlem Renaissance, is not well remembered by history.”

K-Gr 3-While there are no recordings of her voice, singer Mills left a lasting mark in other ways-most notably with her efforts to bring attention to rising black performers and her compassion for the sick and poor. Born in 1896, she became known for her lovely voice and energetic stage presence as a child. Yet even with the rave reviews she received, she endured painful acts of prejudice. Her friends were refused entry to a theater in Washington, DC, to watch young Mills sing and dance, and later, when she was invited to perform in London, white passengers on the ship refused to share the dining room with her and her entourage. Mills was feisty, refusing to perform unless her guests could watch the show, and she turned down the chance to be the first black woman to perform in the Ziegfeld Follies in favor of joining shows that gave young black performers their chance to shine on stage. There's a cheerful, singsong quality to Watson's writing, but it doesn't diminish the impact of racism in Mills's life. Robinson utilizes cut paper and ink in rich earth tones to create a folk-art style that's audacious and warm, much like the performer herself. This is a wonderful book for introducing a trailblazer in entertainment and equality.-Alyson Low, Fayetteville Public Library, AR (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.