Dr. Dorothy Henderson is the topic of the extraordinary educator A short but interesting read about her academic excellence and her great efforts to help children who are under represented and just need a hand up. Dorothy Henderson went to an all white school in Ohio and graduated at 16, because she skipped kindergarten and was way above her classmates. She eventually would work at the college she graduated from. There was more in this book and it is so worth reading it isn’t that long, but it will make you want to learn more about this extraordinary woman. I was given this book by net galley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. please forgive any grammatical approunctuational errors as I am blind and dictate my review, but all opinions are my own.

I started this book with high expectations. I have always wanted to find good biographies for children, however, sadly I was not impressed with this one. I had never heard of Delores Henderson and wished to find out more.

Firstly, there is no context for the book, by that I mean it is not until part way through that we learn that Delores was at a predominantly black university in 1961. This means she was born sometime around 1940, which helps put her life into a meaningful time frame.

Secondly, the illustrations in the book do not follow the text very well. For example, we learn that she went everywhere carrying a book. The illustration shows Delores in the farmyard without a book.

Delores career and her support for all pupils is important, some examples of this would have been beneficial.

"Delores was the voice of children for change and improved opportunities for excellence in education" some examples could make the book flow better. Why did she receive the "Best Educator Award"? What does it mean for the students?

I am sorry to be so negative but feel that written in a different way this could have been an inspirational book and for me it is not.

This beautiful picture book biography tells the story of an amazing teacher, principal and superintendent who dedicated her life to helping children find their way in life. As a child, Delores loved reading and she went on to spark a love of reading in many children she taught. As a black woman who faced racism and discrimination, including not being able to be valedictorian at her primarily white high school, Delores's story is also about being a role model for young BIPOC men and women, reminding them that they can be successful. Like many other picture book biographes, this book has all of the important elements of a biography, is easy to follow and includes detailed factual information. I would recommend this book to teachers and families of children in the 5-11 age range. As a grade 3 teacher, I could see myself using this book in my classroom to teach about black history, racism and biographies. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this great book!