Written by: Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara
Illustrated by: Agathe Sorlet
For ages: 4-8 years
Language: English
Topics Covered: POC-Centric Narratives, Biography, Historical Figure, Musician, Women in Music, Trailblazer, Segregation, Racism, Activism, Modern Black Freedom Struggle, WWII.
Summary: Josephine was a born performer, and found her fame dancing on a chorus line in New York City. Due to ongoing segregation and general racist American society, she moved to France to work on a new show. Josephine became incredibly famous, becoming the first African-American woman to star in a film. She also adopted a bunch of animals and a dozen children! During WWII, Josephine became a spy in the French Resistance. She’s really just an overall badass. Josephine eventually moved back to the States and became engaged in activism for the Modern Black Freedom Struggle.
We love Josephine and are so glad this book exists that also talks about all of her achievements besides being an amazing performer!
This book was sent in consideration of the Best Books of 2019 list by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books (an imprint of Quarto), but all opinions are our own!
About the Author & the Illustrator:
Mª Isabel Sanchez Vegara was born in Barcelona, Spain, and she is a writer and creative director perhaps best known as the author of much of the Little People, Big Dreams series. Six years ago, she decided to self-publish a book that had been in her mind for a long time. One day, one thousand copies of arrived at her home – she had no idea what she was going to do with them! She opened a little online shop, placed them to some pretty stores in her neighborhood and, one by one, she sold them all. Soon, publishing houses started to approach her to write books, but she was working on another idea of her own: a series about little people with BIG dreams. Each book tells the childhood story of one of the world’s female icons in an entertaining, conversational way that works well for the youngest nonfiction readers, allowing them to identify with the characters in each story.
Agathe Sorlet is an illustrator based in Paris, France!