The Power of Her Pen: The Story of Groundbreaking Journalist Ethel L. Payne

"A powerful story." --The Horn Book

"A worthy addition to children's biography collections." --Booklist

"A solid treatment of an important but little-known figure, and it may prompt kids to think about the role and composition of a free press." --BCCB

"Cline-Ransome tells Ethel Payne's] story with economy and drive. 'Somebody had to do the fighting, ' she quotes Payne saying, 'somebody had to speak up.'" --Publishers Weekly

Renowned author Lesa Cline-Ransome and celebrated illustrator John Parra unite to tell the inspiring story of Ethel Payne, a groundbreaking African American journalist known as the First Lady of the Black Press.

"I've had a box seat on history."

Ethel Payne always had an ear for stories. Seeking truth, justice, and equality, Ethel followed stories from her school newspaper in Chicago to Japan during World War II. It even led her to the White House briefing room, where she broke barriers as the only black female journalist. Ethel wasn't afraid to ask the tough questions of presidents, elected officials, or anyone else in charge, earning her the title, "First Lady of the Black Press."

Fearless and determined, Ethel Payne shined a light on the darkest moments in history, and her ear for stories sought answers to the questions that mattered most in the fight for Civil Rights.

Author: Lesa Cline-Ransome
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Published: 01/14/2020
Pages: 48
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 9.70h x 9.40w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9781481462891
Audience: Ages 4-8

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.9
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Lower Grade
Quiz #/Name: 507737 / Power of Her Pen: The Story of Groundbreaking Journalist Ethel L. Payne


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 11/18/2019
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 12/01/2019
Kirkus Reviews 12/01/2019
School Library Journal 01/01/2020 pg. 88
Horn Book Magazine 03/01/2020 pg. 98
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2020 - Superior,Well Above Average

About the Author
Lesa Cline-Ransome is the author of many award-winning and critically acclaimed nonfiction books for young readers, including Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams; My Story, My Dance: Robert Battle's Journey to Alvin Ailey; and Before She Was Harriet. She is also the author of the novel Finding Langston, which received a Coretta Scott King Honor Award and five starred reviews. She lives in the Hudson Valley region of New York. Learn more at LesaClineRansome.com

John Parra's illustrations for Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos, written by Monica Brown, earned the book a New York Times Best Illustrated Book designation. He also illustrated Green Is a Chile Pepper: A Book of Colors by Roseanne Thong, which received a Pura Belpré Honor and the Américas Book Award: Commended; Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans by Phil Bildner, which won the Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Illustration and was a Bank Street Best Book of the year; and Hey, Wall, by Susan Verde, which School Library Journal called "a must-purchase" in a starred review. Learn more at JohnParraArt.com.