Gr 4-6 Maya Angelou overcame an utterly terrifying childhood experience that left her temporarily mute. Despite these challenging circumstances, she went on to accomplish so much. Yet her success may have had a completely different outcome had she not had the love and support of a few key people who helped her turn fear into courage. The author includes a surprising amount of information in this picture book biography, especially given its sparse, narrative verse. The rich language conveys the emotions Angelou felt at different times in her life, ranging from terror to jubilance. The publisher has suggested the target audience as ages 710 and grades 46. This distinction is important to note because the story touches on specific events that may require additional explanation from an adult if the child is in that younger age category. For example, on the page that addresses the traumatic rape Angelou endured as a child, Hegedus writes: "One day, Maya, left alone with Mr. Freeman, is anything but free. After a visit to the hospital, Maya calls out Mr. Freeman's name as the one who hurt her. Mr. Freeman spends only one night in jail. Later, he is found crumpled behind the slaughterhouse. Maya falls silent, scared her voice struck him dead." The illustrations, done in acrylic and oil on textured paper, are luscious and colorful and expand on the beautifully written text. Back matter includes a time line of Angelou's life, additional resources, and references. VERDICT An important and powerful addition to any biography collection. Maggie Chase, Boise State University, ID

In merely 48 pages, Maya Angelou's remarkable life is presented in full, through rhythmic free verse that emphasizes her formative years. With so much being covered, the language cessible, fluid, and often lovely in the paced-out early years nds to drag under the quick-turning logistics of Angelou's adult life. We glimpse her as a dancer, mother, poet, and activist in St. Louis, Stamps, San Francisco, Cairo, and Harlem. The work of metaphor often falls to Engel, whose sweeping oil and acrylics lend depth and power to the text. An especially dark moment is presented with care: "One day, Maya left alone / with Mr. Freeman, / is anything but free." A man's shadow is cast over Maya's bedroom wall, with the little girl curled up on her bed, afraid. Back matter cluding a full time line and selected bibliography mes the sexual assault and offers resources for readers in need of support. A foreword frames this biography as an opportunity for conversation, hoping that children may learn from the courage displayed by Angelou, and so it is.

Maya Angelou: writer, performer, activist.In a foreword, Angelou's grandson, Colin Johnson, prepares readers for a story that is not at all a fairy tale and will inevitably prompt conversations. Hegedus' poem starts with young Maya and older brother Bailey heading to Stamps, Arkansas, where they will live with their paternal grandmother, Momma Henderson, owner of the local general store. Illustrating Henderson's stoicism in the face of racism, Engel uses the symbolism of a scale with Henderson as its fulcrum, Maya weighing down the pan on one side as jeering white girls are lifted on the other. The children's brief sojourn with their mother and her boyfriend is marred by his sexual abuse—the text alludes to "a visit to the hospital"—of young Maya; his shadow on the wall as Maya huddles on her bed will haunt readers. Back in Stamps Maya discovers her love of reading, powerfully depicted in an image that shows words swirling above her head. The narrative continues, Hegedus' spare words finding symbolic representation in Engel's oil paintings, as Maya moves through her difficult childhood to emerge as a rare talent with a young son to support, later to turn her talents to activism. The final page shows an African American girl reading and reflecting on Angelou's words; they swirl about her, closing the circle.This deeply important story will foster further discussion around racism, sexual abuse, and courage. (timeline) (Picture book/biography. 7-12)