(2) K-3 Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. "Unbought and Unbossed": Shirley Chisholm's 1968 campaign slogan, still relevant today. Russell-Brown (Little Melba and Her Big Trombone, rev. 11/14) engagingly presents the life of Chisholm, born in Brooklyn in 1924. Unable to support their children, Shirley's parents took Shirley and her sisters to Barbados to live with their grandmother, "whose house was stocked with love, rules, and chores." Shirley excelled academically and loved living among the Black Barbadians. She and her younger sisters returned home during the Great Depression, and her predominantly white school demoted her from sixth to fourth grade because she knew so little U.S. history. With a tutor's help, Shirley soon took an interest in America's political system and attended Brooklyn College, where she became an award-winning debater. A schoolteacher and community activist, Chisholm became a New York State assemblywoman, then the first Black Congresswoman, steadfastly following her grandmother's mantra: "always..speak the truth." Chisholm broke further ground as an African American woman running for president, in 1972. ­Velasquez's vibrant watercolor illustrations capture Chisholm's ­determination and passion for improving life for Americans with the fewest advantages. The informative and useful back matter includes an afterword, source notes, and photos.

Reviewer: Michelle H. Martin | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Frank Morrison. Seven-year-old Melba Liston chose to play the trombone, an unconventional choice for a girl. By seventeen, she was touring with the greats, including Dizzy Gillespie and Quincy Jones, but--as a female African American musician traveling through the South--faced many challenges. This account is as smooth and stimulating as a trombone solo. Elongated, angular oil paintings perfectly convey the jazz scene. Discography. Bib.

Reviewer: Kathleen T. Horning | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2014