by Nikki Grimes

Lightly framed as a conversation between a girl and her mother, this comprehensive picture book biography follows formative events in the life of former presidential candidate and “lawyer, prosecutor, Senator” Kamala Harris. Though each page is information-dense, lyrical prose makes the text effortlessly readable (“Right away, Kamala was like clay/ her parents molded for action…./ chewing on her pacifier/ and words like ‘peace’ and ‘justice’ ”). In multitextured digital art, Freeman succeeds in creatively capturing a range of Harris’s expressions and experiences, exemplified by a layered portrait of her life and legacy. Notably, Grimes covers Harris’s presidential run and withdrawal, leaving young readers with an uplifting message of perseverance and agency: “Kamala Harris is still writing her American story. And so are you.”

JB HARRIS

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