Nicely done. Although I think she made a small mistake and that Horne sang on The Muppet Show, not Sesame Street. But I could be wrong.

This powerful picture book biography introduces kids to Lena Horne—legendary actress, singer, and activist. The amazing illustrations and featured quotations will draw readers in. Includes Author’s Note, Bibliography, Further Reading.

Lena Horne’s life changed frequently and quickly from the time she was a very small child. Through singing and the world of performance, Lena found something of her own, that she could control. But, racism in the United States and around the world deeply impacted her life and the choices she made both as a performer and a person. The book is full of facts which flesh out Horne’s life story and show her multidimensional position in history, but the way they are presented is a bit rapid-fire. I would have liked to see more of a story developed. The content is a bit difficult for kindergarten. I feel like it would be best suited for discussions in grades 2-4. ( )

Miss Lena Horne, in all her glory takes on the world in this biographical story of the young singer, actress, and inspirational civil rights icon. Carol Boston Weatherford gives us a poignant portrayal of Horne's life growing up in the 1920's and 30's in Brooklyn through her years as an artist and singer, up to her civil rights days. The book never seizes to inspire as you read about how Lena found time to practice as her mother was busy being a vaudeville actress. Between passing through foster homes, and between relatives Lena continued to push forward unto her dreams of being an actress and singer on Broadway. More importantly, children will see the importance of the Civil Rights Era on the African American artists and the population at the time, and they will understand that in some cases the struggles of African Americans are still present, and that artists during that time were experiencing struggles that were so closely intertwined with the Civil Rights Era, that is it hard to distinguish between the two. As Lena Horne stated "You have to be taught to be second class; you're not born that way". ( )

What a story!! ( )