Stacey Abrams and the Fight to Vote
By Traci N. Todd
Illustrated by Laura Freeman
HarperCollins, 2022.
Ages 4 – 9
Stacey Abrams, politician and Nobel peace prize nominee, is brought to life in this remarkable picture book biography which follows Abrams’s fight for voters’ rights.
Author Todd created segments ‘narrated by’ Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Septima Clark, and Fannie Lou Hamer. This powerful social justice story focuses on how Abrams’s work was inspired by those luminaries before her. This unique perspective has the ancestors ‘comment’ on the struggles Stacey is facing while they share examples of how they fought for the same rights Stacey is fighting for today including her early love of reading and “learning big, juicy words,” to her attending Atlanta’s Spelman College, and, finally, her loss in the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial race, during which thousands of voters were turned away.
Sometimes she would light the way. Sometimes her way would be lit by others…
Stacey Abrams was always destined for big things, because she always imagined more. As an activist now she protects the least powerful, works toward making voting fair and easy, and demands better for Georgia and every other state in our nation.
Thanks to all the books she read” AND supportive parents, Stacey Abrams overcame difficult experiences in school. Back matter includes more information on all of the women featured, a detailed Voting Rights timeline for the US and a bibliography. We hope Stacey Abrams’s determination and perseverance will inspire younger generations to make meaningful change in the world. I believe this is a notable biographical sketch of Stacy Abrams.
Traci N. Todd is a children’s book editor and writer whose work centers on Black culture and social justice. One can use this book to encourage conversation at home and the classroom about Black women and voting.
Laura Freeman creates digital art and lives in Atlanta. Find out more at lfreemanart.com.
Make a Pretty Sound: A story of Ella Jenkins — The First Lady of Children’s Music
By Traci N. Todd
Illustrated by Eleanor Davis
Chronicle Books, 2025.
Ages 5 – 8
Once upon a time, children’s music was just Mother Goose, nursery songs, and lullabies. And then came Ella Jenkins.
Drawing on personal interviews the author conducted with Ella and her manager, this is Ella’s story told in her own words. For all who have felt the impact of her work in children’s programming, in classrooms, and in their homes, this is a wonderful opportunity to explore the legacy of an artist who offers children the gift of music and the gift of knowing that another human heart reaches out to theirs.
Submissions by Karen Kosko
