Sitting Pretty: A Celebration of Black Dolls

by Dinah Johnson, Myles C. Pinkney (Photographer)

Through her collection of black dolls, Dinah Johnson imparts a poetic message of pride and self-esteem.

Walk across the bridge --
it's not so hard to do --
look straight ahead and don't turn back,
your sisters are waiting for you.

Dolls are playthings. Dolls are keepsakes. Dolls are magical. In elegant poems and striking photographs, dolls from around the United States and as far away as the Caribbean, East Africa, West Africa, and South America are brought together in celebration of the human spirit.

Dinah Johnson's poems -- sometimes gentle and joyful, often bold and courageous -- embrace the strength and imagination of many cultures. Eboni and Kiani, Sonia and Retta, and over thirty other dolls in this collection march proudly to their own voices and rhythms. Children and doll lovers of all ages will find beauty and inspiration in this extraordinary picture book.

48 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2000

About the author

Dinah Johnson is the award-winning author of many books for young readers, including Black Magic, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie; Hair Dance! with photographs by Kelly Johnson; Quinnie Blue, illustrated by James Ransome; Sunday Week, illustrated by Tyrone Geter; and All Around Town: The Photographs of Richard Samuel Roberts. A professor of English at the University of South Carolina, she lives in Columbia, South Carolina.