Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 01/01/2020 Gr 2–5—African American journalist Ethel L. Payne (1911–91) "collected the stories of people who followed a path paved with dreams." Her interest in oral histories started at an early age—her grandparents shared their experiences laboring in the cotton fields under slavery, and her parents told stories of their sharecropping days. Payne may have grown up poor, but her childhood was rich in language and love. Every Saturday, Payne's mother took her daughter and her five siblings to the libraries on the white side of town. Payne's English teacher encouraged her to write, and, eventually, the all-white school newspaper published her first story. Payne lost her father at an early age and endured bigotry and discrimination. But none of these hardships stopped her from pursuing her dreams. She went to college, fought racism, and shattered barriers to become the only black female journalist in the White House briefing room. She fearlessly asked tough questions of the elected officials and helped to enact change in the country. In Payne's quest for civil rights, she became known as the "First Lady of the Black Press." Told in a matter-of-fact style, accompanied by rich acrylics, Payne's biography is brought to life for young students who may not know about the impact she made for journalists of color. VERDICT A strong addition to an elementary library biography collection.—Annette Herbert, F. E. Smith Elementary School, Cortland, NY - Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 03/01/2020 This picture book biography of Ethel L. Payne, one of the first African American press correspondents for the White House, is a comprehensive look at the life of a journalism pioneer. From integrating a Chicago school during her childhood, through her reporting on Black soldiers in Japan, to her coverage of the White House during the Civil Rights era and beyond, Payne's life was full of important evens, and Cline-Ransome (Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams, 2018) presents the story with clarity and purpose. Parra’s (Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos, 2017) distinctive, folk-art-style acrylic paintings in bold colors are an appealing complement to Cline-Ransome's text, but the monotony of Payne’s facial expression in each spread (usually pointed in the same direction with very little variation of expression) does not add much to the narrative. Nevertheless, this is a solid account of a lesser-known figure and a worthy addition to children’s biography collections. - Copyright 2020 Booklist.