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Reviewed by: Taylor Coonelly, Elementary School Librarian Title: Black Girl, Black Girl
Author: Ali Kamanda and Jorge Redmond
Illustrator: Amanda Quartey
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Year: 2024 Good for Grades: PK-5 Genre/Type of Book: Biography-esque
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: N/A
Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book:
Nominated for the CYBILS award for Elementary and Middle Grade nonfiction
If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be:
The power of those who have come before, and what you will become.
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Review:
Black Girl, Black Girl is an ode to Black children about their power in changing the world, like others have done before them. Using the imagery of a quilt, an older Black woman guides a young Black girl through history and the Black female historical figures of our world, like Kamala Harris, Wilma Rudolph, Claudette Colvin, Miriam Makeba and more. The little girl is shown what is possible of her dreams, and that she has the ability to become anything she puts her mind to.
Besides the women above mentioned, this book also features Mae Jemison, Adelaide Casely-Hayford, Misty Copeland, Viola Desmond, and Ava DeuVernay.
This is a beautifully illustrated and lyrical book about inspirational women in history, and calling to action readers to be inspired by the work these women have and continue to do. The text in this book resembles a long-form poem, rhyming and connection metaphors to actions the reader can take. The women featured in this book were both those whose faces/names children may recognize, but also some new ones as well. I love the imagery of the quilt running through each illustration, and how the author writes in the back of the book that quilts have important visual and artistic significance to the Civil Rights movement and Black history. I also love how the back of the book shares a little biography of each of the women featured in the story, for readers to be able to learn more about these women. I think that this book would be picked from the shelves based on the colorful cover, but could be used as a read-aloud resource during Black History Month or Women's History Month.
Number of party hats:
For more information about this book, see the Publisher's Website