'...to be revisited again and again'the candy-colored pages and straightforward stories are hard to resist'' 'the New York Times

'...diverse collection of iconic figures'vibrantly illustrated'beautifully crafted volume'' 'Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

''exuberant'exquisitely designed'a launching point for more discoveries.' 'school Library Journal, Starred Review

'A luminous and diverse tribute to black movers and shakers across the centuries.' 'Publishers Weekly

Meet 52 icons of color from the past and present in this celebration of inspirational achievement'a collection of stories about changemakers to encourage, inspire, and empower the next generation of changemakers. Jamia Wilson has carefully curated this range of black icons and the book is stylishly brought together by Andrea Pippins' colorful and celebratory illustrations.
 
Written in the spirit of Nina Simone's song 'to Be Young, Gifted, and Black," this vibrant book is a perfect introduction to both historic and present-day icons and heroes. Meet figureheads, leaders, and pioneers such as Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Rosa Parks, as well as cultural trailblazers and athletes like Stevie Wonder, Oprah Winfrey, and Serena Williams.

All children deserve to see themselves represented positively in the books they read. Highlighting the talent and contributions of black leaders and changemakers from around the world, readers of all backgrounds will be empowered to discover what they too can achieve. Strong, courageous, talented, and diverse, these extraordinary men and women's achievements will inspire a new generation to chase their dream'whatever it may be.
 
The 52 icons: Mary Seacole, Matthew Henson, Ava Duvernay, Bessie Coleman, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Cathy Freeman, George Washington Carver, Malorie Blackman, Harriet Tubman, Mo Farah, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jesse Owens, Beyonce Knowles, Solange Knowles, Katherine Johnson, Josephine Baker, Kofi Annan, Langston Hughes, Toni Morrison, Brian Lara, Madam C.J. Walker, Yannick Noah, Maurice Ashley, Alexandre Duma, Martin Luther King, Jr., Maya Angelou, Nina Simone, Simone Biles, Stevie Wonder, Esperanza Spalding, Sidney Poitier, Oprah Winfrey, Pele, Nelson Mandela, Louis Armstrong, Rosa Parks, Naomi Campbell, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Muhammad Ali, Shirley Chisholm, Steve McQueen, Zadie Smith, Usain Bolt, Wangari Maathai, Mae Jemison, W.E.B. Du Bois, Nicola Adams, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and Misty Copeland.

If you like this book, check out Step Into Your Power and Big Ideas for Young Thinkers, by the same author-illustrator team.  - (Grand Central Pub)

This book brings together 52 icons of color from the past and present in a celebration of achievement. - (Grand Central Pub)

“...to be revisited again and again…The candy-colored pages and straightforward stories are hard to resist…” –The New York Times

“...diverse collection of iconic figures…vibrantly illustrated…beautifully crafted volume…” –Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

“…exuberant…exquisitely designed…a launching point for more discoveries.” –School Library Journal, Starred Review

“A luminous and diverse tribute to black movers and shakers across the centuries.” –Publishers Weekly

Meet 52 icons of color from the past and present in this celebration of inspirational achievement—a collection of stories about changemakers to encourage, inspire, and empower the next generation of changemakers. Jamia Wilson has carefully curated this range of black icons and the book is stylishly brought together by Andrea Pippins’ colorful and celebratory illustrations.
 
Written in the spirit of Nina Simone’s song “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black,” this vibrant book is a perfect introduction to both historic and present-day icons and heroes. Meet figureheads, leaders, and pioneers such as Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Rosa Parks, as well as cultural trailblazers and athletes like Stevie Wonder, Oprah Winfrey, and Serena Williams.

All children deserve to see themselves represented positively in the books they read. Highlighting the talent and contributions of black leaders and changemakers from around the world, readers of all backgrounds will be empowered to discover what they too can achieve. Strong, courageous, talented, and diverse, these extraordinary men and women's achievements will inspire a new generation to chase their dream…whatever it may be.
 
The 52 icons: Mary Seacole, Matthew Henson, Ava Duvernay, Bessie Coleman, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Cathy Freeman, George Washington Carver, Malorie Blackman, Harriet Tubman, Mo Farah, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jesse Owens, Beyonce Knowles, Solange Knowles, Katherine Johnson, Josephine Baker, Kofi Annan, Langston Hughes, Toni Morrison, Brian Lara, Madam C.J. Walker, Yannick Noah, Maurice Ashley, Alexandre Duma, Martin Luther King, Jr., Maya Angelou, Nina Simone, Simone Biles, Stevie Wonder, Esperanza Spalding, Sidney Poitier, Oprah Winfrey, Pele, Nelson Mandela, Louis Armstrong, Rosa Parks, Naomi Campbell, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Muhammad Ali, Shirley Chisholm, Steve McQueen, Zadie Smith, Usain Bolt, Wangari Maathai, Mae Jemison, W.E.B. Du Bois, Nicola Adams, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and Misty Copeland.

If you like this book, check out Young, Gifted and Black Too, for 52 more inspiring icons! For younger readers, Baby Young Gifted and Black is perfect to introduce litte ones to these trailblazers who changed the world.

If you like this book, check out Step Into Your Power and Big Ideas for Young Thinkers, by the same author-illustrator team.  - (Grand Central Pub)

Jamia Wilson joined Random House as an executive editor in 2021, and is the former executive director and publisher of the Feminist Press. An activist and writer, Wilson has contributed to New York Magazine, The New York Times, The Today Show, CNN, BBC, Teen Vogue, Elle, Refinery 29, Rookie, and The Guardian. She is the author of Young Gifted and Black; Baby Young, Gifted, and Black; Step Into Your Power; and Big Ideas for Young Thinkers. She is also a co-author of Road Map for Revolutionaries and wrote the introduction and oral history to Together We Rise: Behind the Scenes at the Protest Heard Around the World.

Andrea Pippins is an illustrator, designer, and author who has a passion for creating images that reflect what she wants to see in art, media, and pop culture. Her vision is to empower people of color with tools and inspiration to create and tell their own stories. She is the best-selling creator of the coloring book I Love My Hair and the interactive journal Becoming Me. Her clients include O: The Oprah Magazine, Scoop Magazine, Family Circle, The Huffington Post, Bustle, Free People, Lincoln Center, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Andrea is based in Stockholm, Sweden. 

Booklist Reviews

Fifty-two black men and women, past and present, are introduced in this eye-catching book. Readers receive short bios about subjects that include icons (Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman); celebrities and athletes (Oprah, the Williams sisters, Louis Armstrong); and some people whose names are less familiar, such as Samuel Coleridge Taylor, a mixed-race English composer who worked at the turn of the last century. The book gets most of its points for the breadth of its coverage and its dynamic design and artwork. The oversize volume has a pop-art sensibility, depicting every subject in a folk-art style surrounded by design work and, often, items representative of their careers. These are accompanied by biographical information five or six paragraphs long, along with a highlighted quote. Information so concise does leave out a lot: for instance, there is no mention of the affect Oprah Winfrey's father had on her life, nor Muhammad Ali's issues with serving in the U.S. Army. But the visuals will draw kids, and the bios may be just enough to spur readers onward. Grades 3-6. Copyright 2018 Booklist Reviews.

Horn Book Guide Reviews

In this "love letter...to the next generation of black changemakers" (per the book's welcome note), stylish digitally colored ink portraits illustrate fifty-two brief bios of black subjects; the person's iconic (unsourced) quotations appear in bold. The selections vary widely in era, nationality, background, and occupation, but the connecting factors are talent and willingness to work hard as a child. A "Hall of Fame" with photos is appended. Glos. Copyright 2019 Horn Book Guide Reviews.

Kirkus Reviews

A richly illustrated collective biography of 52 black icons, from the well-known to the less familiar.In the opening author's note, the purpose of the volume is made clear: "All children deserve to see themselves represented positively in stories. That's why we're highlighting the talent and contributions of black changemakers from around the world—for readers of all backgrounds to discover"—a worthwhile goal exquisitely executed. This diverse collection of iconic figures includes film directors, politicians, writers, athletes, musicians, scientists, and leaders, among others. In no apparent order, subjects profiled range from those born in the 1800s to those born more recently, after the turn of the 20th century, who make up the majority of the 52. Most icons occupy one half of a double-page spread that's unified by colors, designs, and patterns in the art. The colorful and dynamic images often use shapes and imagery to portray the subjects as crowned or haloed ( as in the angelic halo, partially made of piano keys, that adorns Nina Simone). Each vibrantly illustrated minibio includes either the person's nickname or words they are known by in bold, their birth and death dates (if deceased), and the place of their birth. The inclusion of non-American black icons is notable and commendable—especially that of Australian Aboriginal "Champion Sprinter" Cathy Freeman. A beautifully crafted volume that can serve either as an introduction to these figures or as a supplementary text. (glossary) (Collective biography. 9-14) Copyright Kirkus 2018 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly Reviews

With a title drawn from Nina Simone's "To Be Young, Gifted and Black," this striking volume highlights 52 black activists, politicians, artists, writers, scientists, and entertainers from around the world. Wilson introduces the figures in succinct biographies that move briskly through their accomplishments, emphasize their impact, and include brief quotations ("If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair," said Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman in Congress). Wilson's subjects are weighted toward the 20th and 21st centuries (Jean-Michel Basquiat, Mae Jemison, Steve McQueen, the Obamas, the Williams and Knowles sisters), but earlier trailblazers are also represented, including George Washington Carver, Alexandre Dumas, and Harriet Tubman. Pippins uses dramatic shades of pink, yellow, red, and fluorescent green to create tableaus that suggest a blend of religious iconography and pop art. A luminous and diverse tribute to black movers and shakers across the centuries. Ages 7–10. (Feb.)

School Library Journal Reviews

Gr 3 Up—With a title that references the late Lorraine Hansberry's phrase "young, gifted and black," this exuberant collected biography is one readers won't want to miss. Students are invited to explore one and two-page vignettes of 52 compelling figures in black culture worldwide. Each profile recounts their beginnings and marvelous feats as scientists, writers, athletes, artists, or activists, both past and present. Exquisitely designed, each illustrated portrait is thickly outlined, colored digitally, and illuminated by irradiating forms that resemble papel picado. Each written entry follows a precise format: a clear definition of the person in a larger sans-serif font; the same but smaller font for the text; a bold handwriting font for a highlighted quote; and an outlined, all-caps font for the inventive titles given to each, such as "Conductor" for Harriet Tubman, "Soul-Singing Superstar" for Solange, and "Chess Grandmaster" for Maurice Ashley. There is not a chronology or categories. There is a back matter and a "Hall of Fame" photo album—like index of black-and-white headshots, each framed with a name banner and page number. In the preface, New York—based activist author Wilson and illustrator Pippins pinpoint the importance of telling stories of black success with the adage that "if you can't see it, you can't be it." VERDICT Share this book widely across generations as a launching point for more discoveries.—Sara Lissa Paulson, City-As-School High School, New York City