Sewing Stories: Harriet Powers’ Journey from Slave to Artist

Born into slavery on a Georgia plantation, Harriet Powers learned to quilt from a young age, developing into a skilled artist. Brantley-Newton’s collages incorporate photographic snippets of burlap, cotton, and other textiles, while Herkert ably places Powers’s life in historical context, as she was eventually forced to sell the two “story quilts” she created in order to make ends meet after the Civil War. The quilts themselves (which now hang in museums) get large-scale reproductions on the endpapers, as well as numbered explanations of the biblical and real-life events reflected within their panels. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Karen Grencik, Red Fox Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Lori Nowicki, Painted Words. (Oct.)