Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker by Patricia Hruby Powell, illustrated by Christian Robinson (Chronicle Books, 2014)

Josephine is not your usual picture book. Nor is her story the typical subject matter of a children’s biography. And yet,  Josephine will dazzle readers. This extraordinary book chronicles Josephine Baker’s life from her birth in “honky-tonk town – rambunctious SAINT LOUIS, Missouri-… home of RAGTIME MUSIC — … gotta-make-the-rent music — lift-my-soul music” all the way to the glitzy stages of Paris, France. Hers was no ordinary life.

A self-made woman who fought for racial equality in a way like none before her, Josephine sang and danced, clowned and sparkled her way till she was all the rage, awing and wooing audiences across Europe. “America wasn’t ready for Josephine, the colored superstar. THE WORLD WAS.”

Told in free verse, organized into 6 chronological sections, with illustrations that capture the exuberant text and practically dance off the page, Josephine will make a stunning addition to any home, school, or library collection.

Read Michelle Markel’s excellent interview with author Patricia Hruby Powell HERE.