Alicia Williams: Hi, my name is Alicia D. Williams, and I'm the author of Shirley Chisholm Dared: The Story of the First Black Woman in Congress.

Where did I get the inspiration to write a picture book biography about Shirley Chisholm? Well, some stories, they just choose me. Others, someone might perhaps lead me to write, and this was one of those stories. Way back while I was in graduate school, I had a faculty member who said, "You know what, I want you to try a picture book biography. How about Shirley Chisholm?" I didn't know much about Shirley Chisholm. And, I tell you, this was the toughest lesson to learn on how to write and what to include in the story. But the more I researched about Shirley Chisholm, the more I learned how bold and daring and how her spirit was just one that we need. We need that voice.

So often, children, especially little girls, are told you can't be bold. You can't be bossy. You can't be assertive, or you're just too... You're just too inquisitive. You're just too rambunctious. Well, Shirley took those "just too" and turned them into positives, and now look at her. She is such a remarkable story and such a leader for children, so I had to write her.

One of the things that draws interest about Shirley is that she was the first African American and the very first woman to run for the presidential nomination for a major party. While that is one of the proud moments that most people know about her, while writing this book, I thought I needed to highlight some of the many other proud moments that Shirley had.

Yes, of course, we know about the president, and we know about Congress, but there was so much more that we didn't know. We didn't know about her fighting for small people and fighting for childcare, some of the bills that were passed, some of the ones that she fought for that weren't passed. We didn't know about the challenges that she's very proud of. And Shirley Chisholm is proud to be a catalyst for change. She lived her life to dare. Those moments that we really hear about is what I wanted to include. Therefore, you'll know Shirley on a more personal level and know that she is proud to be one of the bravest persons to challenge Congress, to challenge lawmakers, to challenge people in her community to make a change.

Now, I'd love to share with you the very first pages of Shirley Chisholm Dared:

Meet three-year-old Shirley St. Hill, a busy little girl who asked way too many questions. She and her immigrant parents, along with her two baby sisters, live in a tiny apartment in Brooklyn, one they can hardly afford.

Seeing that Shirley needs room to run, her mother thinks it might be a good idea to take her to her grandma's, plus they'll save money. So the girls, and their mother, board an old steamship in New York Harbor and set off for Barbados.

After nine days, the family arrives to the welcoming hugs and kisses, but just as the island smells and sounds start to feel familiar to Shirley, it's time for mother to say goodbye. Still, Shirley doesn't settle into sadness. Oh no, she has work to do. Though she's younger and tinier than her cousins, she's just as strong. She hauls buckets of well water to thirsty cows, pigs, and goats. Shirley even bosses her cousins around.