Not Done Yet: Shirley Chisholm’s Fight for Change

Gr 1-4–This picture book biography chronicles pioneer and activist Shirley Chisholm’s journey from teacher to congresswoman through verse and striking digital illustrations. Chisholm spent her childhood in Barbados and then Brooklyn, NY. From an early age, she possessed a fighting spirit and a laser-focus on fairness and equality. She hated the prejudice she observed and encountered based on skin color, gender, and income level. Having witnessed the power of education in her own life, Chisholm decided to become an educator. Her advocacy work for healthcare, children, and the environment led her to help with political campaigns, and that was when she began to see her own potential, and ran for a place in the New York State Assembly representing Brooklyn. Chisholm eventually became the first Black woman elected to Congress. She felt unwelcome there but persevered, hiring an all-female staff. She also ran for the U.S. presidency, though unsuccessfully. Free-verse style is unified by the refrain “But she wasn’t done yet,” and peppered with paraphrased quotes from Chisholm. The layered, collage-style digital illustrations are show-stoppers, especially the bold patterns that make the clothing look textured and evoke the many decades of style she lived and worked through. Back matter includes author and illustrator notes and a helpful time line of Chisholm’s life.