Witches, Authors, And More!

I know I am not alone when I say how much I cherished Virginia Hamilton’s books as a kid. This lovely picture book biography of her life is written in a series of poems. It opens with her birth, moves back in time to her great-grandmother’s decision to escape from enslavement, and then explores how Virginia became a writer. She began writing her stories in a notebook at age nine, despite people telling her there was no future in writing stories. Eventually, she would publish her first novel, Zeely. The poetry format works really well in this lovely biography.

This isn’t so much of a biography but rather a glorious celebration of Langston Hughes and his work. The prose practically sings off the page, and the illustrations by the Pumphrey brothers are so very clever and energetic, often embedding words into the art, showing how Hughes’s work was such an active part of the landscape. This is such a joyful read.

This gorgeous picture book biography of James Baldwin releases at the end of this month. It’s also written in verse and opens with a young Baldwin helping care for his siblings in the small apartment he shares with his family in Harlem. He finds writing mentorships from multiple teachers throughout his life, and as an adult, he searches out and finds a writing community. These experiences and more build to Baldwin’s history as a writer and activist. The warm, realistic illustrations are so beautiful.

This enchanting picture book biography follows the four Brontë siblings as children as they’re inspired to write books based on childhood toys. It opens with a young Charlotte making a small book for her even younger sister Anne, their window peaking out over the moors. O’Leary then broadens the story to show the family, home, and village where the Brontës grew up before depicting the father bringing the toy soldiers home that so captured their imagination. Back matter includes a timeline and instructions on how to make a small book. Smith’s illustrations, as always, are so lovely.