Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker

by Patricia Hruby Powell (Author) Christian Robinson (Illustrator)

Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker
Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade
A portrait of the passionate performer and civil rights advocate Josephine Baker, the woman who worked her way from the slums of St. Louis to the grandest stages in the world. Meticulously researched by both author and artist, Josephine's powerful story of struggle and triumph is an inspiration and a spectacle, just like the legend herself.
Select format:
Hardcover
$18.99

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

Segregated American clubs were willing to let African-American dancer Josephine Baker (1906-1975) perform, but they wouldn't let her use the front door. Powell (Frog Brings Rain) chooses a potent metaphor for Baker's hidden anger: "hot magma, molten lava, trapped within." When Baker arrived in France, the country embraced both her artistry and her blackness, and "Her deep volcanic core--filled with emotion, filled with music--erupted." Robinson (Rain!) draws round faces gazing with amazement at the woman onstage whose pearl necklace flies one way and whose hips swing the other. Baker's entire life spreads out in this tapestry of words, from a St. Louis childhood surrounded by music to her triumphs all over Europe--followed, sadly, by debt and illness. Robinson's naif, folk-style figures look like puppets, and make some grim moments easier to endure ("Those ugly rumors incited some white folks/ to beat, murder, and burn black East St. Louis"). Although Powell's focus is on Baker, the contrast between segregated America and welcoming France will not be lost on readers. Ages 7-10. Author's agent: Anna Olswanger, Liza Dawson Associates. Illustrator's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Jan.)

Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Starred Review

Gr 5-8--This charming biography invites readers to step inside the vibrant and spirited world of performer and civil rights advocate, Josephine Baker. Robinson's paintings are as colorful and rich as Josephine Baker's story, offering page after page of captivating and animated illustrations and rhythmic text, which is written in blank verse. In a few short and well-organized parts, readers learn the story of one of the world's most well known female performers who danced and sang her way from the poor and segregated streets of St. Louis to the dazzling stages of Paris all the way to Carnegie Hall. Text and illustrations work in tandem to accurately document Josephine's extraordinary life and the era in which she lived. Clear and lively descriptions of Josephine's story play out creatively in the text, introducing readers to basic principles of poetic structure in storytelling and offering an accurate portrait of a woman who fought for racial equality and civil rights through her life's passion: performance. Reluctant readers of nonfiction and poetry lovers alike will be drawn to this book's musical, theatrical nature, making for a fun, enriching, and holistic reading experience. This unique and creative work is a first purchase.--Natalie Braham, Denver Public Library

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"An extraordinary dancer and woman is here celebrated with style and empathy."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Patricia Hruby Powell
Patricia Hruby Powell danced throughout the Americas and Europe with her dance company, One Plus One, before becoming a writer of children's books. She lives in Champaign, Illinois.

Christian Robinson, formerly at Pixar Studios and Sesame Street Workshop, lives in San Francisco.
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9781452103143
Lexile Measure
790
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Chronicle Books
Publication date
January 14, 2014
Series
-
BISAC categories
JNF007050 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Cultural Heritage
JNF007060 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Performing Arts
JNF007120 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Women
Library of Congress categories
France
Dancers
Baker, Josephine
African American entertainers
Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards
Honor Book 2014 - 2014
Parents Choice Awards (Spring) (2008-Up)
Gold Medal Winner 2014 - 2014
Coretta Scott King Award
Honor Book 2015 - 2015
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award
Honor Book 2015 - 2015

Subscribe to our delicious e-newsletter!