Remember Her Name!: Debbie Allen's Rise to Fame

Young Debbie Allen is destined for fame and everyone will know her name! A poetic, uplifting biography of a Black icon for kids ages 5-8.

New York Times best-selling author Tami Charles tells Debbie Allen’s inspiring story of perseverance and growing up during the Civil Rights Movement and Jim Crow South.

Young Debbie Allen was blocked from the local dance school in the 1950s Jim Crow American South. In order to allow Debbie to pursue her dream, Debbie's mother moved with her to Mexico where Debbie studied at the Ballet Nacional de Mexico. When they returned to Texas, Debbie was admitted to the Houston Ballet Foundation as the company’s first Black dancer, and a legendary career began.

Inspired by award-winning and NYT best-selling author Tami Charles’s interviews with living legend and dancer/actor Debbie Allen, this is an ode to creativity and perseverance, as well as an amazing history of a pivotal time in Debbie's life.

Tami Charles is the New York Times best-selling author of All Because You Matter, and numerous books for children and young adults. Her middle-grade debut, Like Vanessa, earned Top-10 spots on the Indies Introduce and Spring Kids' Next lists, three starred reviews, and was a Junior Library Guild selection. She wrote a YA novel-in-verse, Muted, and a follow-up to All Because You Matter called We Are Here. When Tami isn't writing, she can be found presenting at schools both stateside and abroad.

Born in Haiti and raised in sunny Florida, Meredith Lucius pulls inspiration from the vibrant cultural aspects both lands offer. The diverse environment of Miami and later Tampa informed her art and instilled a hunger for more representation in books. Meredith's passions primarily focus on encouraging equity through inclusive book illustration and  character design. Meredith lives in Kansas City. www.meredithlucius.com