Indelible Ann: The Larger-Than-Life Story of Governor Ann Richards

by Meghan P. Browne, Carlynn Whitt (Illustrator)

Overview

A folksy, larger-than-life picture book biography about Ann Richards, the late governor of Texas who has inspired countless women in politics today.

Dorothy Ann Willis hailed from a small Texas town, but early on she found her voice and the guts to use it.

During her childhood in San Diego and her high school years back in Texas (when she dropped the "Dorothy"), Ann discovered a spark and passion for civic duty. It led her all the way to Washington, DC, where she, along with other girls from around the country, learned about the business of politics. Fast forward to Ann taking on the political boys' club: she became county commissioner, then state treasurer, and finally governor of Texas. In this stunning picture book biography, full of vim, vigor, and folksy charm, two Texan creators take us through the life of the legendary "big mouth, big hair" governor of Texas, a woman who was inspired by Eleanor Roosevelt, and in turn became an inspiration to Hillary Clinton and countless others.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593173275
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	06/22/2021
Pages:	44
Sales rank:	373,495
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD1020L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Meghan P. Browne is working toward her MFA at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. This is her debut picture book. Meghan lives on and runs a farm in South Austin, Texas, called the Honey Browne Farm. Visit her on Twitter at @meghanpbrowne.

Carlynn Whitt is an artist, illustrator, and occasional animator. Currently based in Los Angeles, Carlynn's work frequently reinterprets found photographs and engages issues of femininity, beauty, consumerism, and mortality. She is a RISD alum and a native Texan.

Editorial Reviews

05/24/2021

Utilizing the refrain “just wait, you’ll see,” this detailed picture book biography by a Texan team centers the life of Ann Richards (1933–2006), the 45th governor of Texas. Debut picture book author Browne maintains interest with approachable prose and vivid figurative language as she follows Richards from her birth “outside a lonely Texas prairie town” to her persistence in balancing politics with parenthood: “She listened to the people: a colorful patchwork of Texans sewn tightly together by their desire for change.” Realistic ink and gouache illustrations by Whitt employ a softly retro palette, portraying Ann on nearly every page amid a cast of variously inclusive figures. An inspiring, feminist-leaning look at a trailblazing woman in politics. Back matter includes more about Richards. Ages 4–8. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"An undeniably indelible woman inspiring readers to reach their own heights." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“This exciting, sunny biography is as real and rollicking as the late governor herself, and is highly ­recommended for elementary and junior high nonfiction ­collections.” —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

08/01/2021

Gr 4–6—This biography of Ann Richards uses the tone and structure of a tall-tale to pack a lifetime of the legendary Texas activist and politician's accomplishments and exploits into a picture book length text. Whitt's beautifully rendered drawings convey an energy and sense of motion that echoes Richards's dynamic, no-nonsense personality. Browne's narrative, while struggling to balance the complexity of language needed to convey the ups and downs of a historic political life, does tend to gloss over specific dates and details. Also, as somewhat expected in the telling of a folk heroine's daring deeds, there's quite a bit of hyperbolic praise and very little discussion of the low points or missteps of this larger-than-life lady. An afterword offers a more traditional brief biography and an explication of Richards's impact as a woman of amazing achievements who did a great deal of good for a great many people over the course of her extraordinary life and inspired others to do the same. VERDICT This exciting, sunny biography is as real and rollicking as the late governor herself, and is highly recommended for elementary and junior high nonfiction collections.—Kelly Kingrey-Edwards, Blinn Junior Coll., Brenham, TX

School Library Journal

★ 2021-03-17
If folks in the small Texas town where Gov. Ann Richards spent her childhood thought little Dorothy Ann Willis was good at climbing trees and baiting a trotline, and if her high school classmates in Waco thought she was a “speech and debate team marvel”—well, “…JUST WAIT, you’ll see.”

This quirky biography with a homespun voice takes a look at the life and career of the 45th governor of the Lone Star State. As a teenager, she traveled to Washington, D.C., and came back understanding “the importance of civic duty.” She couldn’t be stopped. “There were people to meet and problems that needed fixing.” As a county commissioner, she “built a bridge between the predictable past and the limitless future.” When elected state treasurer, she hired “staff that reflected the folks around her.” With her booming voice and her “high-cotton” hair, Richards had big ideas for herself and her state. When people thought she should be a candidate to run for president, she said there was “still work to be done in Texas”—and did it. Well-organized and colorfully written, the book presents Richards at her highest and lowest, taking care to show how its subject became the formidable progressive and inclusive politician she was. Bright, bold illustrations chock-full of period detail underscore this with depictions of the vigorously multicultural staff and state this White woman helmed. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at 32.4% of actual size.)

An undeniably indelible woman inspiring readers to reach their own heights. (biographical note, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews