Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. I’ve always loved road trips. When my husband and I were first married, we were both teachers, and with the summer ahead of us, we’d plan a road trip. Twice we went cross-country…and many times we drove up to Canada or down to Washington, DC. We worried about money. We worried about weather. But we didn’t worry about whether it would be safe for us to be in a certain town after dark. And we didn’t worry about finding a place to eat or sleep. That’s because we were white. Traveling back in the day wasn’t so easy for people of color. In fact, it could be downright dangerous. Then Victor Hugo Green created the Green Book.
I had the opportunity to read Vivian Kirkfield’s upcoming nonfiction book, Making Their Voices Heard: The Inspiring Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe. With a lyrical quality to her writing, Vivian Kirkfield has written a beautiful story of friendship between two iconic personalities, Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe. They were different in many ways, but they both had the same hopes and dreams. The author piques curiosity by giving readers a bit of background information about each woman. Ella Fitzgerald wanted to share her music with the world, and Marilyn Monroe hoped to become a great actress. How did these two women forge a life-long friendship? When Marilyn was offered a role in a musical, the first thing she did was to buy her idol’s records to listen to and study. Those records were Ella Fitzgerald’s. Marilyn’s performance in the movie was hailed by critics. This gave Marilyn a…
VIVIAN KIRKFIELD - Writer for Children 