"...to be revisited again and again...The candy-colored pages and
straightforward stories are hard to resist..." -The New York Times
"...diverse collection of iconic figures...vibrantly
illustrated...beautifully crafted volume..." -Kirkus Reviews, Starred
Review
"...exuberant...exquisitely designed...a launching point for more
discoveries." -School Library Journal, Starred Review
"A luminous and diverse tribute to black movers and shakers across the
centuries." -Publishers Weekly
Meet 52 icons of color from the past and present in this celebration
of inspirational achievement--a collection of stories about changemakers
to encourage, inspire, and empower the next generation of changemakers.
Jamia Wilson has carefully curated this range of black icons and the
book is stylishly brought together by Andrea Pippins' colorful and
celebratory illustrations.
Written in the spirit of Nina Simone's song "To Be Young, Gifted, and
Black," this vibrant book is a perfect introduction to both historic and
present-day icons and heroes. Meet figureheads, leaders, and
pioneers such as Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Rosa
Parks, as well as cultural trailblazers and athletes like Stevie
Wonder, Oprah Winfrey, and Serena Williams.
All children deserve to see themselves represented positively in the
books they read. Highlighting the talent and contributions of black
leaders and changemakers from around the world, readers of all
backgrounds will be empowered to discover what they too can achieve.
Strong, courageous, talented, and diverse, these extraordinary men and
women's achievements will inspire a new generation to chase their
dream...whatever it may be.
The 52 icons: Mary Seacole, Matthew Henson, Ava Duvernay, Bessie
Coleman, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Cathy
Freeman, George Washington Carver, Malorie Blackman, Harriet Tubman, Mo
Farah, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jesse Owens, Beyonce Knowles, Solange
Knowles, Katherine Johnson, Josephine Baker, Kofi Annan, Langston
Hughes, Toni Morrison, Brian Lara, Madam C.J. Walker, Yannick Noah,
Maurice Ashley, Alexandre Duma, Martin Luther King, Jr., Maya Angelou,
Nina Simone, Simone Biles, Stevie Wonder, Esperanza Spalding, Sidney
Poitier, Oprah Winfrey, Pele, Nelson Mandela, Louis Armstrong, Rosa
Parks, Naomi Campbell, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Muhammad Ali, Shirley
Chisholm, Steve McQueen, Zadie Smith, Usain Bolt, Wangari Maathai, Mae
Jemison, W.E.B. Du Bois, Nicola Adams, Serena Williams, Venus Williams,
and Misty Copeland.
If you like this book, check out Young, Gifted and Black Too, for
52 more inspiring icons! For younger readers, Baby Young Gifted and
Black is perfect to introduce litte ones to these trailblazers who
changed the world.
If you like this book, check out Step Into Your Power and
Big Ideas for Young Thinkers*, by the same author-illustrator
team.*
