An elegant biography in poems celebrates the distinctive voice and life of writer Maya Angelou. Born in 1928, Maya entered a world “that didn’t love Black girls.” When she was three, Maya was sent with her brother to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. There she spent her time in a loving Black community, attending church and getting lost in books borrowed from the local white school. After a traumatic event, Maya stopped talking completely. “No words came out of Maya / for five years. / For five years, / hundreds of thousands of words came in.” Encouraged by people in her life and by the words of poets, Maya discovered her voice again and never stopped using it. She sang in countries around the world; engaged in civil rights activism; taught in Ghana; and wrote articles, essays, and books. She found countless ways to make her powerful voice heard. Soft watercolor and collage illustrations in warm earth tones provide glimpses of Maya in many and varied roles throughout her life. (Ages 8-11)