Colorful, forthright, energetic prose that matches the character of its subject distinguishes this picture book biography of Sojourner Truth. “She was big. She was black. She was so beautiful.” The opening words set the tone for a lively narrative that describes Sojourner Truth’s life as one defined by her physical and moral strength and her endless courage. “In search of freedom, Belle ran. She fled like tomorrow wasn’t ever gonna come… Belle ran right up to hope’s front door.” Andrea Davis Pinkney’s account culminates with Sojourner’s riveting, righteous comments at a women’s rights convention in Akron, Ohio, in 1851, in which she countered claims of women as the weaker sex with a description of her own life, asking, “And ain’t I a woman?” (Ages 5–9)

Born into slavery, Belle had to endure the cruelty of several masters before she escaped to freedom. But she knew she wouldn't really be free unless she was helping to end injustice. That's when she changed her name to Sojourner and began traveling across the country, demanding equal rights for black people and for women. Many people weren't ready for her message, but Sojourner was brave, and her truth was powerful. And slowly, but surely as Sojourner's step-stomp stride, America began to change.