Jackie Ormes was the first Black female cartoonist to be nationally syndicated. This picture book biography utilizes stylized cartoonlike illustrations and energetic layouts to chronicle Jackie’s hard won success story. As a young woman in the 1930s, Jackie pushed to get a job as a reporter at the Black newspaper in Pittsburgh, though she really wanted to illustrate. She eventually started her own cartoon about a woman, Torchy Brown, who leaves Mississippi for fame and fortune in New York during the Great Migration. After marrying, Jackie relocated to Chicago, where she and her husband moved in wealthy and political circles. Jackie was monitored by the FBI for 10 years because of her political opinions and connections. During this time, Jackie was best known for her cartoon series about Patty-Jo, a sweet and spunky Black girl, in strips that didn’t shy away from addressing racism and social justice. Jackie went on to develop a Patty-Jo doll. A note from the author provides historical photos and additional details about Jackie Ormes’s life and the significance of her contributions as an artist. (Ages 8-12)

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book • Robert F. Sibert Honor Book

An evocative picture book biography about the prolific life of Jackie Ormes, whose groundbreaking cartoons became some of the first empowering depictions of Black women in America!

Jackie Ormes made history. She was the first Black woman cartoonist to be nationally syndicated in the United States. She was also a journalist, fashionista, philanthropist, and activist, and she used her incredible talent and artistry to bring joy and hope to people everywhere. But in post-World War II America, Black people were still being denied their civil rights, and Jackie found herself in a dilemma: How could her art stay true to her signature "Jackie joy" while remaining honest about the inequalities Black people had been fighting?

Rising stars Traci N. Todd, author of the Coretta Scott King Honor Book Nina: A Story of Nina Simone, and Shannon Wright, co-creator of the bestselling graphic novel Twins, have crafted a gorgeous and heartfelt tribute to the indelible legacy of Jackie Ormes, whose life and work still influences illustrators and cartoonists today.