Shirley Chisholm Dared: The Story of the First Black Woman in Congress

In this informative, accessible picture book biography, Newbery Honoree Williams profiles Shirley Chisholm (1924–2005), presenting her Brooklyn beginnings; her six years growing up in Barbados; and her subsequent education and fight to join the New York State Assembly and then Congress. Employing an italicized refrain of others’ judgments throughout Chisholm’s life (“That young lady is rebellious!”), Williams relays the various challenges and achievements Chisholm faced at each stage: “Politicians keep making promises. Yet nothing changes./ So Shirley steps her white oxford heels back into politics.” Acrylic and mixed media collage art by Harrison has a multilayered, folk art sensibility, featuring textures, angles, and expressive figures of differing skin tones. A solid primer on a Black political visionary. Back matter includes an author’s note. Ages 4–8. [em](June) [/em]