The Power of Her Pen: The Story of Groundbreaking Journalist Ethel L. Payne

“A powerful story.” —The Horn Book

“A worthy addition to children’s biography collections.” —Booklist

“A solid treatment of an important but little-known figure, and it may prompt kids to think about the role and composition of a free press.” —BCCB

“Cline-Ransome tells [Ethel Payne’s] story with economy and drive. ‘Somebody had to do the fighting,’ she quotes Payne saying, ‘somebody had to speak up.’” —Publishers Weekly

Renowned author Lesa Cline-Ransome and celebrated illustrator John Parra unite to tell the inspiring story of Ethel Payne, a groundbreaking African American journalist known as the First Lady of the Black Press.

“I’ve had a box seat on history.”

Ethel Payne always had an ear for stories. Seeking truth, justice, and equality, Ethel followed stories from her school newspaper in Chicago to Japan during World War II. It even led her to the White House briefing room, where she broke barriers as the only black female journalist. Ethel wasn’t afraid to ask the tough questions of presidents, elected officials, or anyone else in charge, earning her the title, “First Lady of the Black Press.”

Fearless and determined, Ethel Payne shined a light on the darkest moments in history, and her ear for stories sought answers to the questions that mattered most in the fight for Civil Rights.

Lesa Cline-Ransome is the author of numerous nonfiction and historical fiction titles for picture book, chapter book, middle grade, and young adult readers. Her One Big Open Sky was both a Coretta Scott King Honor book and a Newbery Honor book. Her picture books include Fighting with Love: The Legacy of John Lewis, Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams, and The Power of Her Pen: The Story of Groundbreaking Journalist Ethel L. Payne. Her verse biography of Harriet Tubman, Before She Was Harriet, was nominated for an NAACP Image Award and received a Jane Addams Children’s Book Honor, Christopher Award, and Coretta Scott King Honor for Illustration. Her debut middle grade novel, Finding Langston, won the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction and received the Coretta Scott King Award Author Honor. She lives in the Hudson Valley region of New York with her husband and frequent collaborator, James Ransome, and their family. Visit her at LesaClineRansome.com.

John Parra is an award-winning illustrator, designer, author, and educator. For his children’s illustration work he has received three American Library Association Pura Belpré Honors. His books include Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos, written by Monica Brown, which earned a New York Times Best Illustrated Book designation; Green Is a Chile Pepper, written by Roseanne Thong, which received the Américas Book Award; Spanish Is the Language of My Family, written by Michael Genhart, which received seven starred reviews and the Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award; Hey, Wall, written by Susan Verde; The Power of Her Pen, written by Lesa Cline-Ransome; his authorial debut Growing an Artist, which was the recipient of the Christopher Award and the Américas Award; and his own This Moment is Special. Learn more at JohnParraArt.com.