This picture book, written in poetic prose and narrated by civil rights activists Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells, Septima Poinsette Clark, and Fannie Lou Hamer, recounts the story of Stacy Abrams’ life to date. It is written as a conversation between these four women, looking at the present with the sagacity gained from their own life experiences. They specifically talk about the 2018 election when Abrams ran unsuccessfully in Georgia’s gubernatorial race, and how so many voters were sidelined. At the end, an author’s note includes a brief but more thorough biography of Abrams and the four other activists, a timeline of voting rights in the US, and a bibliography. Illustrations are digital (but beautiful) and in keeping with text, augmenting the story.

Overall a beautiful and well-written book; for very young children without any previous understanding of the civil rights movement the number of people and the concepts covered might overwhelm, but it would be a great addition to teaching about this topic in any setting, be it home, school, or library. Highly recommend; it’s never too early to teach kids about the importance of voting.

Reviewed by Jenny Martinez Nocito, Maine State Library