Black Girl Rising

K-Gr 3–Lyrical, timely, and marvelously illustrated, this work extols the beauty, bravery, and possibilities of young black girls. The author explores strong role models, female and male, from the past to inspire readers to envision the prospects of a glorious future. Using first names, known works, or a likeness provided by the illustrator, famous people are referenced in an enigmatic manner. Young readers may recognize the use of a single name to refer to Maya Angelou, Serena Williams, and Langston Hughes. However, the references to Nikki Giovanni, Toni Morrison, Gwendolyn Brooks, and others are not necessarily as obvious. Thus, elementary students may not understand the connections the author is trying to make between the historical references of strong Black voices in the past and the impact they have on encouraging the creativity and contributions that are currently possible to today’s generation. A long banner in the Pride colors flows and unfurls across three spreads and poignantly, with sort of withered scorched ends. Here and elsewhere, the book’s lettering is an integral part of the manuscript, with flowing lines and occasional words in boldface. The advanced reading level, implied social commentary, and absence of a specific story line may make it difficult for this book to find an audience at the elementary level. However, the rich vocabulary, flowing narrative, and specific word emphasis does encourage exuberant read-alouds.