Books
Harlem’s Little Blackbird: A Timeless Story about a Forgotten Entertainer
Florence Mills could have been in Ziegfeld’s Follies – but she chose Black theater instead
when she was invited to sing at an
all-white theater and was told that
her black guests could not come
in, so she refused to sing. I was
moved by the boldness and pas-
sion she had at such a young age
and I thought young people should
know about this remarkable little
girl who grew up to be an interna-
tionally acclaimed performer.
While the book celebrates her
professional career, for me, it is
about using your voice to make
change—big or small. It is about
holding on to your dream and
believing that no matter where you
come from, you can go anywhere,
do anything.
Lisa Loving
The Skanner News
R
enee Watson is a native
New Yorker who has taught
art, poetry, creative writing
and theater to kids from pre-school
on up. She also uses drama and
writing as therapy tools for youth
and adult clients. Her stunning
new children’s picture book,
“Harlem’s Little Blackbird: The
Story of Florence Mills,” shares
the true-life tale of a singer during
the 1920s artistic and cultural
movement in New York.
While many people have heard
of Langston Hughes, Zora Neale
Hurston, Count Basie and Duke
Ellington, Florence Mills’ legacy
has been lost to history – because,
incredibly, there is no known
recording of her voice. Yet the
artist was so loved in her day that
other artists wrote music and theater
in her honor.
In this book, Mills gracefully
sketches Mills’ life – as a daughter
of former slaves whose talent led
her to the Broadway stage but
whose compassion for her own
community led her to turn down a
spot on the Ziegfeld Follies to focus
on all-Black theater shows instead.
All this — wrapped in exquisite
original art by Christian Robinson
using both painting and collage – for
elementary school readers. This is a
truly incredible book that everyone
should pick up and read, no matter your age or background.
Watson’s previous books are the picture book, “A Place
Where Hurricanes Happen,” and her gripping young adult
novel, “What Momma Left Me.”
The Skanner News conducted an email interview with
Watson about her writing, her story, and why reading is so
important.
‘She was very young
when she was invited to
sing at an all-white
theater and was told
that her black guests
could not come in, so
she refused to sing’
The Skanner News: What made you decide to write this
book?
Renee Watson: I wanted to write a series of books that
honored the lives of women of color who accomplished
amazing things, but we may not know much about. When I
learned Florence’s story, I knew I had to tell it. This little
girl, born to former slaves, was already dancing and singing
by the time she was six-years-old. She was very young
TSN: Who is your audience?
RW: My primary audience for
this book is children ages 7 and
up. My hope is that people of all
ages enjoy the story and find
something that resonates with
them.
TSN: One of my favorite things
about this gorgeous book as the
author’s note at the end about how
Florence’s voice was never record-
ed. How did you first hear of this
remarkable woman and how did
you research this story?
RW: I was introduced to Flo-
rence’s story by my editor, Suzy
—Renee Watson Capozzi. I worked with Suzy on my
first picture book, A Place Where
Hurricanes Happen, and when I
pitched my idea to her about writing a series honoring
unsung heroes, she told me she had the perfect person in
mind.
I did most of my research at The Schomburg Center for
Research in Black Culture. The Schomburg is a treasure in
Harlem that has a research library and a wealth of informa-
tion on people of African descent worldwide. There, I was
able to read original newspapers that featured stories on
Florence, and look through a collection of her personal arti-
facts, including the playbills from her performances, letters
that she wrote, and her touring schedules. I also read the
book, Harlem Jazz Queen by Bill Egan. Egan’s book is
what made me fall in love with Florence.
like The Snowy Day by
Ezra Jack Keats and that
one story about the little
house in New York that
refused to move for office
buildings to be built around
it and at the end the house is
moved back out to the coun-
try. Who inspires you in
writing? And did anyone
inspire you to write
Harlem’s Little Blackbird?
RW: I love The Snowy
Day by Ezra Jack Keats,
Renee Watson, author
too!
In terms of writing, most
of my inspiration comes from poetry. Poetry is all about
using the fewest words to convey big emotion. It’s about
rhythm and choosing the right words to tell a story. I read a
lot of poetry when I’m writing picture books. It reminds me
that less is more.
When writing Harlem’s Little Blackbird, I looked at sev-
eral picture book biographies to see how other writers wrote
about legendary performers. Two of the books I went back
to over and over again were When Marian Sang by Pam
Muñoz Ryan and Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His
Orchestra by Andrea and Brian Pinkney.
TSN: How did you hook up with Christian Robinson?
RW: I was introduced to Christian by Random House.
From the moment I saw his portfolio, I fell in love with his
style and was very excited that we’d be collaborating on
this project. Christian lives in California and I live in New
York, so we haven’t met face to face. We’ve spoken only
See BOOK on page 11
Information is
Today’s Currency
TSN: One of the remarkable things about this book is that
the style of it reminds me of classics from when I was a kid,
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October 31, 2012
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