Lift As You Climb

The Story of Ella Baker

A CHERRY ON TOP

Margaret K. McElderry Books

(Simon & Schuster)

(pub. 6.9. 2020) 48 pages

Author: Patricia Hruby Powell

Illustrator: R. Gregory Christie

Character: Ella Baker

Overview: "Long before the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s, Ella Baker worked to lift others up by fighting racial injustice and empowering poor African Americans to stand up for their rights. Her dedication and grassroots work in many communities made her a valuable ally for leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and she has been ranked as one of the most influential women in the civil rights movement. In the 1960s she worked to register voters and organize sit-ins, and she became a teacher and mentor to many young activists." Tantalizing taste:

"All over the South

Ella made speeches

about freedom -

voting -

rights -

words straight from her heart

to the hearts of her audience.

Then she'd ask

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH?"

And something more: Patricia Hruby Powell writes in the Author's Note: "Anyone who worked for the Black Freedom Movement (or for the Women's Movement) in the 1960s knew Ella Baker. But because she worked behind the scenes and didn't care about the spotlight, nor believed in following a charismatic figure or being followed, she is less known than she should be."

The People's Painter

How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice with Art

A CHERRY ON TOP

Abrams Books for Young Readers

(pub.4.20.2021) 48 pages

Author: Cynthia Levinson

Illustrator: Evan Turk

Character: Ben Shahn

Overview: " 'The first thing I can remember,' Ben said, 'I drew.'

As an observant child growing up in Lithuania, Ben Shahn yearns to draw everything he sees—and, after seeing his father banished by the Czar for demanding workers’ rights, he develops a keen sense of justice, too.

So when Ben and the rest of his family make their way to America, Ben brings both his sharp artistic eye and his desire to fight for what’s right. As he grows, he speaks for justice through his art—by disarming classmates who bully him because he’s Jewish, by defying his teachers’ insistence that he paint beautiful landscapes rather than true stories, by urging the US government to pass Depression-era laws to help people find food and jobs." Tantalizing taste:

"And at school, Ben Stared at what seemed like thousands of letters in all different shapes and styles and sizes. All different from Hebrew. Even worse, bullies tormented him about his clothes and accent, and they called him names just because he was Jewish.

Sometime, though, they'd pause if he chalked their portraits on the sidewalk. No one drew people better than Ben."

And something more: Cynthia Levinson writes in the Author's Note: "I came to appreciate what Ben once told his student, children's author and illustrator Tomie dePaola: 'Being an artist is not only what you do, but also how you live your life.'"

The Stuff Between the Stars

How Vera Rubin Discovered Most of the Universe

A CHERRY ON TOP

Abrams Books for Young Readers

(pub.3.2.2021) 48 pages

Author: Sandra Nickel

Illustrator: Aimee Sicuro

Character: Vera Rubin

Overview:

"Vera Rubin was one of the astronomers who discovered and named dark matter, the thing that keeps the universe hanging together. Throughout her career she was never taken seriously as a scientist because she was one of the only female astronomers at that time, but she didn’t let that stop her. She made groundbreaking and incredibly significant discoveries that scientists have only recently been able to really appreciate—and she changed the way that we look at the universe. A stunning portrait of a little-known trailblazer, The Stuff Between the Stars tells Vera’s story and inspires the youngest readers who are just starting to look up at the stars." Tantalizing taste:

"Dark matter, thought Vera. This mysterious stuff could fill the space between the stars. And then, like glitter caught in an invisible halo, all the stars would turn at the same pace. Dark matter might not burn bright like stars, but Vera could tell it was there by how it made the stars move."

And something more: Sandra Nickel writes in the Author's Note: "Vera Rubin never forgot being told that her ideas were ridiculous and outlandish. Like a young galaxy, she spread her arms wide and drew in young scientists. She carefully listened to their thoughts, encouraged them to continue, and if they stumbled along the way, she caught them. Vera was especially encouraging to young women. An entire generation of female astronomers viewed her as their 'guiding light.'"