I loved the first book “Young, Gifted and Black” and have used it in the school whenever I can so I was so excited to see the next in the series!

This is a celebration of 52 people in Black history since the 1500’s to present day. The biographies are written to give brief but effective snapshots into the people’s lives, great to get children excited and leave them wanting more.

The book has brilliant illustrations – beautiful colours, bright and bold. The content is diverse and culturally rich with a huge range of well known people as well as lesser known ones such as Marcus Samuelson, Laverne Cox and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

I had only heard of a handful of these phenomenal so I am so glad their achievements have been represented so well in this wonderful book and I could, as an adult, learn more.
There is representation from across the globe from places such as Senegal, Ghana and Kenya as well as the UK and the USA. There are independence fighters, peacemakers, musicians, sports people amongst the talented people portrayed.

Overall a wonderful, informative book to excite and capture children’s interests. I don’t even want to put an age range on it as it can be read to children as well as be read by children.

4.5 stars.

I originally read Young, Gifted and Black five years ago, and when I heard there would be a sequel I was definitely excited! I'm grateful to netgalley for the chance to read this sequel, which I also checked out of the library to enjoy physically.

I can't directly compare the sequel to the original, as reading them five years apart just doesn't make that doable for me, but I can definitely say this was an excellent book!

Young, Gifted and Black, Too contains fifty-two biographies of Black people throughout the last five centuries to the present who have done incredible things with their lives. There are writers, scientists, actors, athletes, politicians, activists, and more throughout this impressive collection. I was especially interested in the first half of the book, which contained the more historical figures, but I'm sure many readers will enjoy reading about the modern figures. I was also pretty thrilled to see the collection included disabled and trans people, and the portrayals of them were just as well written as the rest of the biographies (which is sadly not true of all collected biographies). The art is vibrant, it really pops, and it helps bring the figures represented to life. I will say that I wished that more causes of death had been included, particularly in areas where the causes of death are relevant to the person's life or where they are relevant to things children should know (children should know that many people died from AIDS).

Overall, this is a great collection of biographies, and I would definitely recommend it (and the previous entry as well).

This book should be on the bookshelves of every household that has a child of color, because it would make a perfect bedtime storybook. As an adult, I learned about people who have made major contributions to our history.

Great job Jamia Wilson!

This was a really cute book. I enjoyed the illustrations. When reading children’s books I really pay attention to the detail. I appreciated that they didn’t just go over the most popular/well known black icons. Great learning tool. Modern day icons make the book seem fresh to me. I can’t wait the see future iterations of this series.

In preparation before reading this book, I read Young, Gifted and Black. I enjoyed it a lot, and it sparked excitement to read Young, Gifted and Black Too. And I'm so glad I did!

What i enjoyed about this book is that many of the 52 incredible men and women featured in this book I had no previous knowledge of. The first in the series I felt like I knew most, but this one provided me with the opportunity to learn more about an array of inspirational people.

This was a great book that I believe to be a must read for not just black children, but all young readers. In a world where some government leaders want to get rid of African American studies, these types of books become even more significant. I truly hope the authors continue this series!

Young, Gifted and Black Too is just beautifully done overall. This book is a great and a necessary addition to every home library. The illustrations are beautiful and bright .As an educator I love being able to allow my students to see people who look like them. I will definitely be adding it to my library along with my copy of Young, Gifted, and Black.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Young, Gifted and Black Too by Jamia Wilson is another great addition to Black Excellence books for children.
Wilson highlights 52 Black icons from the past and present. These icons are not only from the United States but worldwide. It is a great continuation of historic and iconic figures from all over the world.

This is the author’s follow-up book to the best-selling “Young, Gifted and Black”.
The 52 biographies, in this book, can easily be turned into a unit base study for children. The educational value is limitless. Also, as an inspiring, uplifting book to find new heroes and heroines. From activists, politicians, scientists, poets, and more. There is someone who will inspire your little one.

Young, Gifted, and Black Too is a great read for all ages. I love that it has a combination of lesser known figures in Black History, as well as modern figures who are still contributing to history today. It was a fun read for me, and the illustrations were beautiful.

Young, Gifted and Black, Too follows on from 2018’s Young, Gifted and Black from the same authors, and, like the previous book, it features Black icons from history to the present. This fantastic little book is full of fun illustrations of these icons, with excellent bios to go with them.

I learnt lots! Like that Albert Luthuli was born at Solusi in Zim, which I honestly had never heard. (I am ignorant.) That Fela was multigifted, with the ability to play multiple musical instruments, and that he attended Trinity College of Music (—again, I am ignorant). I learnt that Charles Richard Drew, who has saved (and continues to save) millions of lives through his pioneering work on storage of blood plasma, died at 45 💔 I read about Ntando Mahlangu, the young South African Paralympic athlete who raced a cheetah on Netflix; about Kadeena Cox, who studied physiotherapy like me, and is now a Paralympic medallist, among her many achievements; about Juan Latino, a brilliant 16th century lecturer in Spain; about the queens, Yaa Asentewaa and Nanny; about Leymah Gbowee, Aisha Dee, and Lewis Hamilton; about Adenike Oladosu, the ecofeminist; and much, much more.

What a wonderful book to get for your kids and lbr, yourself, too! Absolutely delightful! Full marks plus extra stars for this one; highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Quarto Publishing Group – Wide Eyed Editions for this ARC.

Nb. This book is suitable to read with tots, and also for younger children, with supervision. It’s great for all older kids without supervision.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Received for review: I received an advanced copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not obligated to write a good review, nor did I receive any compensation for writing this review.

My Overall Thoughts/Impressions: I remember loving this type of books in my older elementary school days. It has a short entry on 52 figures from Black history. The people presented here are diverse in age, when they lived, what they accomplished, etc. And I loved that. I think there is something in here for everybody.

It does not offer an in-depth dive into anyone person, but it does give a great snapshot into each figure's life.

I enjoyed the way this was presented.

Pages: 64 pages.

Reading age: Grade level 2-4. I think older readers would like it as well. Recommended age is 2-9.

Love,

Danica Page

This book comes out after Black History Month is over for this year but that is no reason not to have this title in your home or school library. Just some of the inspirational people found in these pages are Touissaint Louverture, Thurgood Marshall, Miriam Makeba, Marcus Samuelson, Laverne Cox and Amanda Gorman. Readers will find beautiful illustrations and interesting biographical information on each of the featured people. With 52 entries, one could read one each week, or just dip in and learn about these men and women in any way that appeals.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

Thank you, Quarto Publishing Group- Wide Eyed Editions, for the advance reading copy.

I feel this is a good start to introduce the most amazing personalities to the kids and the rest of the world. Let’s meet the Black life changing heroes and heroines in real life in different walks of life.

The illustrations are amazing and the descriptions quite informative.

I AM QUITE IMPRESSED! Kudos to the Quarto team as always. They are the best!

I LOVED this book it was interesting to read about so many amazing people both past and present. I really enjoyed the look of the book and how inviting the pages were. This would is perfect for children to get them engaging with reading and also asking questions about important people of both past and present. Would HIGHLY recommend this book everyone.

I thoroughly enjoyed learning about black people all over the world who had an impact in their respective fields, whether it be civil rights, architecture, dance, music, sports or poetry.

Though this is a children’s book, I found myself really interested in learning about all these influential black people. There were many I didn’t know about and I’m now interested in learning more about.

The illustrations in the book were beautiful and amazing as well and will appeal to a child very well. This is a great book to read to children to show them positive stories of people in their community as well as to inspire them, knowing that there is someone who looks like them in a field they are interested in pursuing.

This is a fab children’s book! It’s so informative, and yet still fun, allowing children to learn easily about black history and important people!

A historical celebration of 52 Black icons throughout the world starting from the 1500's up to present day.

I love, love that this book is written for children so they can get inspired by reading positive stories of people like them. It's about celebrating who you are and finding representation in books and in history.

Each biography in the book is accompanied by illustrated snapshots of these icons. They way the biographies are written really makes you want to learn more and it encourages you to investigate and discover more about these amazing people.

Magnificent, monumental, a must read! This book is an important, necessary addition to every home and library!

The illustrations are bold, bright and gorgeous. The colours are joyous! And the pictures have a really cool vibe to it that makes me feel like it's for Us without it being a cliche "African" aesthetic (I say this as an African reviewing this book while in South Africa lol). The details in the playful background of each person's portrait is fantastic! I cannot say enough good things about how beautifully and joyously illustrated this book is! It also really matters to me (and this is another way you can tell it's a book for Us by Us) that there's an obvious intentional variation is skin tones throughout the book. Too often, artists will select one tone to represent Black skin and that's the colour they stick with throughout. Here, each person has a different natural tone that feels authentic and natural and realistic.

I love that (in the book's intro) the authors call this book a celebration of icons, and I also love that they encourage readers to go out and explore these remarkable peoples' stories for ourselves outside of the book. I felt so inspired already by the bold text in the intro that reads "How do you plan to write your name on the present and future pages?" followed by a sign-off that reads "You are one of our heroes, too." simply for being our unique irresplaceable selves. I love that, and it instills a confidence in me as to comfortably and enthusiastically gift this book to young readers and parents I know.

This book is one of the most brilliantly and diversely curated collections --including such fascinating, culturally-rich and wide-ranging icons that I would never have dreamed would be showcased together. And it's truly global! South Africa, Senegal, Mozambique, Ghana, Kenya, the UK and the USA are among the many, many places represented. Fashion designers, musicians, independence fighters, peacemakers, scientists, dancers, architects, sportspeople, authors (and sooo many other talented people!) all in one place, united by their brilliance and Blackness! And I'd only heard of about 20 of the 52 people before.

I'd recommend readers should at least be a middle grader, as the descriptions given for each icon assumes an understanding of slavery, world history, and colonial rule (including how an unjust government retaliates to rebellion and shows of independence) that may complicate storytime with backstory discussions otherwise. This line in the book's description explains it well: "the range of figures showcases an even more global selection in line with the movement towards decolonizing our history and curricula." And that's awesome! It absolutely would, as the description says, be "ideal for educators and homeschoolers studying Black excellence, with a new figure to explore every week of the year."

There certainly is lots to unpack and research and discuss after reading each story. It's also just a great reference book to have on hand at home, to learn together as a family, and know that you have access to a wealth of stories worth recognizing and retelling.

What a beautiful book! As a future educator, I was interested in this book because it show my BIPOC students change makers that look just like them. Wonderful illustrations and blurbs on the amazing people.

this should be in schools. interestingly, i just write an essay for my degree about the invisibility of black individuals in history and this book emphasises my point. this book educates you on so many incredible people throughout history who i have, shamefully, not had the pleasure to learn about. this book was fantastic in teaching me about these wonderful figures in history.

when it releases, i will be aiming to buy a copy for my nine year old sister and even a copy for her school library. thank you for making this book and educating everyone on these figures that history has overlooked.