Lift as You Climb: The Story of Ella Baker

by Patricia Hruby Powell, R. Gregory Christie (Illustrator)

Overview

Learn about the civil rights activist Ella Baker in this inspiring picture book from Sibert Honor winner Patricia Hruby Powell and Caldecott Honor winner R. Gregory Christie.

“What do you hope to accomplish?” asked Ella Baker’s granddaddy when she was still a child.
Her mother provided the answer: “Lift as you climb.”

Long before the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s, Ella Baker worked to lift others up by fighting racial injustice and empowering poor African Americans to stand up for their rights. Her dedication and grassroots work in many communities made her a valuable ally for leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and she has been ranked as one of the most influential women in the civil rights movement. In the 1960s she worked to register voters and organize sit-ins, and she became a teacher and mentor to many young activists.

Caldecott Honor winner R. Gregory Christie’s powerful pictures pair with Patricia Hruby Powell’s poignant words to paint a vivid portrait of the fight for the freedom of the human spirit.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534406230
Publisher:	Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication date:	06/09/2020
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	273,643
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	AD730L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 10 Years

About the Author

Patricia Hruby Powell is the author of Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker, which earned five starred reviews and won a Robert F. Sibert Nonfiction Honor, Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor, Boston Globe–Horn Book Nonfiction Honor, and Parent’s Choice Gold for Poetry. She is also the author of the YA documentary novel Loving Vs. Virginia, which was an Indie Next Pick; Struttin’ With Some Barbecue, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book; and Lift as You Climb, a picture book biography of Ella Baker. Visit her at TalesforAllAges.com.

R. Gregory Christie received a Caldecott Honor for his illustrations in Freedom in Congo Square, written by Carole Boston Weatherford. He is a three-time recipient of The New York Times’s 10 Best Illustrated Children’s Books of the Year Award, a six-time recipient of the Coretta Scott King Honor Award in Illustration, and a winner of the Boston Globe­–Horn Book Award, the NAACP’s Image Award, and the Once Upon a World Children’s Book Award from the Museum of Tolerance. Visit Mr. Christie’s website at Gas-Art.com.

Editorial Reviews

08/01/2020

Gr 4–7—Ella Baker (1903–86) was raised by the children of parents who were previously enslaved. From an early age, her parents told her she had the potential to change the world. She learned to listen to others and use what she heard for good. Throughout her life, she committed herself to standing up for human rights, always asking herself and others, "What do I hope to accomplish?" No matter the persecution or struggles she faced, Baker always rose above, lifting others with her as she climbed. This lyrical biography provides insight into the life of a member of the civil rights movement, creating connections between her work and modern times. Fears and obstacles are honestly depicted, as are injustice and violence. Christie's detailed illustrations are visceral. The artwork shows a Black man being beaten by two white police officers, Black youth imprisoned for peaceful protests, and buses burning after being firebombed. Some prior knowledge of Black American history is required to fully appreciate this book; terms such as emancipation and Negroes are used without explanation or context. Supplemental information detailing the purposes of different organizations Baker was affiliated with, as well as a time line of her life, provides clarity. The messages encouraging all people of color to vote and take their places in the government come through strong and clear. VERDICT A highly informative picture book biography that captures the determination and strength of an influential civil rights leader and adds to students' understanding of the civil rights movement.—Emily Beasley, Omaha Public Sch., NE

School Library Journal

2020-05-03
Early in life, Ella Baker listened to her grandfather’s sermons, her grandmother’s stories about life during slavery, and her mother’s advice to “Lift as you climb”: the lodestars that guided Baker to her purpose and accomplishments.

Powell’s verse biography chronicles the professional life of civil rights leader Ella Josephine Baker. Not as widely familiar as Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Dorothy Height, she nevertheless played a pivotal role in educating African Americans of all backgrounds about freedom, voting, and their rights. The book cites Baker’s working relationship with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as they formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, as well as her work with the NAACP and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Christie’s illustrations are in the style of African American folk art, a harmonious choice for the subject matter. Vivid colors abound, and the typeset alternates between black and white, both clearly legible against solid backgrounds. Centered in distinctive display type is Baker’s oft-repeated question, “What do you hope to accomplish?” There is an urgency to the clipped text, accentuated by frequent use of the em dash: “Ella thought [Dr. King] should ask— / not command. / Still, she agreed— / for the cause.” Substantial backmatter includes an author’s note with further information about Baker’s personal life, a glossary of the initialisms, a timeline, and a bibliography.

A beautiful book and a welcome addition to the picture-book–biography shelf. (Picture book/biography. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews

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