Black Girl You Are Atlas

A Coretta Scott King Honor Book
Winner of the Walter Dean Myers Award

A thoughtful celebration of Black girlhood by award-winning author and poet Renée Watson.

In this semi-autobiographical collection of poems, Renée Watson writes
about her experience growing up as a young Black girl at the intersections of race, class, and gender.

Using a variety of poetic forms, from haiku to free verse, Watson shares recollections of her childhood in Portland, tender odes to the Black women in her life, and urgent calls for Black girls to step into their power.

Black Girl You Are Atlas encourages young readers to embrace their future with a strong sense of sisterhood and celebration. With full-color art by celebrated fine artist Ekua Holmes throughout, this collection offers guidance and is a gift for anyone who reads it.

Author: Renée Watson
Publisher: Kokila
Published: 02/13/2024
Pages: 96
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.60lbs
Size: 6.30h x 5.50w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9780593461709
Audience: Young Adult


Award: Coretta Scott King Award - Honor Book


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 11/20/2023
Kirkus Reviews 12/15/2023
School Library Journal 01/01/2024 pg. 71
Shelf Awareness 02/16/2024
Booklist 03/01/2024 pg. 38
Horn Book Magazine 03/01/2024 pg. 104
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2024 - Outstanding, Noteworthy In Style

About the Author
Renée Watson is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, educator, and community activist. Her books have sold over one million copies. Her young adult novel, Piecing Me Together (Bloomsbury, 2017), received a Coretta Scott King Award and a Newbery Honor. Her children's picture books and novels for teens have received several awards and international recognition. She has given readings and lectures at many places, including the United Nations, the Library of Congress, and the U.S. embassies in Japan and New Zealand. Her poetry and fiction center the experiences of Black girls and women, and explore themes of home, identity, and the intersections of race, class, and gender.

Ekua Holmes is a collage-based artist who investigates family histories, relationship dynamics, childhood impressions, and the power of hope, faith, and self-determination in her work. She has created and led workshops, been a visiting artist and lecturer, and held artist residencies throughout New England. For her work in illustrating children's literature, Holmes is the recipient of a Caldecott Honor, Coretta Scott King's John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award, Robert Siebert and Horn Book awards. She is also currently Commissioner and Vice-Chair of the Boston Art Commission, along with Associate Director at the Center for Art and Community Partnerships at MassArt.