We Wait for the Sun
by Dovey Johnson Roundtree and Katie McCabe; illus. by Raissa Figueroa
Primary    Roaring Brook    40 pp.    g
2/21    978-1-250-22902-1    $18.99
e-book ed.  978-1-250-82195-9    $10.99

Dovey Johnson Roundtree (1914–2018) would grow up to be a civil rights warrior; this picture-book biography focuses on a pivotal moment in her childhood. One pre-dawn summer morning in North Carolina, her grandmother takes her blackberry picking, joined quietly by other women from their community. Intimidated by the dark, Dovey gains courage from Grandma Rachel, who tells her she need not fear it. “If you wait a little, your eyes will learn to see, and you can find your way.” Awash in blues and purples and then pinks, reds, and golds as the sun rises, Figueroa’s stunning illustrations, many of which depict a view from above the woodland scenes, illuminate the landscape, the diligent work of the women, and the lessons Dovey learns from her loving grandmother, which feed her tenacity and determination as an adult. Several pages of back matter, which include family photographs, detail the remarkable life of this unsung hero, who graduated from Spelman College, served in the Women’s Army Corps, earned a degree from Howard ­University Law School, and fought diligently for civil rights throughout her long career and life. An author’s note by McCabe explains that the book was “adapted from the final chapter of the autobiography Dovey and I wrote together.” Inspiring and exquisitely illustrated, this well-researched true story will spark conversations that prompt young readers to learn more about Roundtree.

From the May/June 2021 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.