Black Barbie

Celebrate the creator of the world’s first Black Barbie in this inspiring story about Kitty Black Perkins, the visionary toy designer who helped define the course of Barbie’s history.

Ever since she was little, Kitty Black Perkins loved making clothes for dolls. She’d cut the materials using paper, creating outfits and accessories from a rainbow of colors and patterns. So when she saw an ad to work for Mattel designing clothes for Barbie, she jumped at the opportunity. But it never felt right to Kitty that all the dolls had the same skin tone, and she wished there was a Barbie that looked like her and her family and neighbors back home in South Carolina.
 
This inspiring true story celebrates the life of Kitty Black Perkins, whose creativity and confidence led to the production, manufacturing, and marketing of the first Black Barbie doll. It’s a radiant portrait of the woman who dared to see herself in Barbie, allowing children to do the same.

• Praise for Ida B. Wells Marches for the Vote:
  A CCBC Choices Selection
  Winner of the SCBWI Golden Kite Award Nonfiction Text for Younger Readers
  
  "Young activists in search of role models will find much to admire in this tough, courageous woman."
  Kirkus Reviews
• "Johnson writes with the conviction of Ida B. Wells and her inherent beliefs about right and wrong…. Johnson is careful to lay the groundwork for her subject’s many fine moments…. Until her name is as familiar as Abraham Lincoln’s, we can’t have too many books about Wells."
  School Library Journal
• "Johnson's compelling text tells the inspirational true story of a Black suffragist who fought injustice all her life.... Jordan's skillfully crafted oil on cloth illustrations effectively capture the historical era in which Wells lived and the determination she showed regardless of the challenge."
  The Horn Book
• Praise for H Is for Harlem:
  A Kirkus Best Book of the Year
  A School Library Journal Best of the Year
  A Horn Book Fanfare Title
  An Amazon Best Book of the Month 
  A Nerdy Book Club Best of the Year Selection
  A Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature Best Book of the Year
  An ALSC Notable Book for Children
  A NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Selection
  A Junior Library Guild Selection 
  A CCBC Choices Honor
  
  * "This is a beautiful and welcome celebration of Black joy. A gem that whets the appetite to learn more about a city where art is as alive as the people who live there."
  Kirkus Reviews, starred review
• * "Sumptuous and necessary…Harrison’s mixed-media illustrations are meant to be savored for their layers of detail. Light seems to shine through these stunning, vibrant pages." —Booklist, starred review
  
  * "An ode to the beating heart of African American culture with remarkable depth and breadth. This title is a celebration of Harlem’s vibrancy, dynamism, and significance." /B>School Library Journal, starred review
  
  * "Harrison’s arresting mixed-media illustrations render the abundant cast of important figures and myriad, unique surroundings in lifelike shades, lush textures, and generous dimensions.'" —Publishers Weekly, starred review
  
  * "Engaging and beautiful.... What a splendid way to learn the alphabet!"
  Horn Book, starred review