Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
A vision of dignity and freedom and a powerful role model for girls and women of all races. "I am a woman who came from the cotton fields of the South. I was promoted from the fields to the washtubs. I promoted myself into the business of manufacturing hair goods. I have built my own factory on
my own ground."
Born December 23, 1867, Sarah Breedlove Walker was the first free-born child of sharecroppers in Delta, Louisiana. Life was hard, but slavery had ended, and the Breedlove family was free - and if you were free, you could dream.
And dream she did. VISION OF BEAUTY follows Sarah Breedlove Walker's rise from a bleak world of poverty and discrimination to unprecedented success as a businesswoman and philanthropist. Through tenacity and faith, she discovered a cure for her own hair loss, then began marketing her original products through the Mme. C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company. Well known as a woman of economic independence, Madam Walker offered a vision of dignity and freedom for her people and a powerful role model for women and girls of all races.
Back matter includes an epilogue, an illustrator's note, sources, and an index.
Synopsis
"This impressive picture book will delight young readers as it gives a sense of this remarkable woman and the times in which she lived." -- School Library Journal (starred review)
An inspiring biography of a woman who rose from a bleak world of poverty and discrimination to unprecedented success as an influential businesswoman and philanthropist. Born December 23, 1867, Sarah Breedlove Walker was the youngest and first freeborn child in her family. As sharecroppers, their lives were hard, but slavery had ended, and the Breedlove family was free. And if you were free, you could dream.
Back matter includes an epilogue, an illustrator's note, sources, and an index.
About the Author
Kathryn Lasky says, "When I was a little girl growing up in Indianapolis, I loved having a lemonade stand. One of my very early memories is coming into the kitchen with a jar full of money and my mother exclaiming, 'Goodness, Kathryn, maybe you'll grow up to be the next Madam Walker!'" Kathryn Lasky lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Nneka Bennett studied animation and illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design. She has illustrated many books for children and currently lives in East Orange, New Jersey.