Since the early nineteenth century, the women of Gee's Bend in southern Alabama have created stunning, vibrant quilts. In the only photo-essay book about the quilts of Gee's Bend for children, award-winning author Susan Goldman Rubin explores the history and culture of this fascinating group of women and their unique quilting traditions. Rubin uses meticulous research to offer an exclusive look at an important facet of African American art and culture. In the rural community of Gee's Bend, African American women have been making quilts for generations. They use scraps of old overalls, aprons, and bleached cornmeal sacks anything they can find. Their traditions have been passed down through the decades. Much to the women's surprise, a selection of the quilts was featured in an exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in 2002. The exhibition then traveled to the Whitney Museum in New York City. "Eye-poppingly gorgeous," wrote a critic for the New York Times about the exhibition. He continued, "Some of the most miraculous works of modern art America has produced." The Metropolitan Museum of Art will exhibit its newly acquired collection of Gee's Bend quilts in 2017. Rubin is known for producing well-researched, highly praised, and sophisticated biographies of artists and other important figures. Through similar research, The Quilts of Gee's Bend shares specifics about this rare community and its rich traditions, allowing children to pause to consider history through the eyes of the people who lived it and through a legacy that is passed on to the next generation. This book should be of great interest to classrooms, libraries, and those interested in African American art in the United States, in addition to quilting, life in early emancipated colonies in the South, and Gee's Bends importance in the Civil Right's movement. The quilts and the incredible stories behind them are powerful motivators for anyone who wishes to accomplish anything. A map, directions on how to make a quilt square, endnotes, and an index round out this stunning nonfiction book.

The true story of Mary Seacole, the "Celebrated Heroine of the Crimean War". Over two hundred years ago in Kingston, Jamaica, a little girl called Mary watched as her mother selected a bottle of medicine for a sick British soldier. This marked the beginning of Mary Seacole's passion for nursing, which would go on to shape the rest of her life. As a young woman, she would have to overcome personal tragedy – the sudden loss of her mother and husband – and prejudice from her peers to reach the battlefields of the Crimean War, nursing soldiers back to health and even carrying them from the midst of the fighting. With words by Susan Goldman Rubin and lively illustrations by Richie Pope, this is the true story of the "Celebrated Heroine of the Crimean War".

Through Edgar Degas's beloved paintings, drawings, and sculptures, Susan Goldman Rubin conveys the wonder and excitement of the ballet world. Degas is one of the most celebrated painters of the impressionist movement, and his ballerina paintings are among the most favorite of his fans. In his artwork, Degas captures every moment, from the relentless hours of practice to the glamour of appearing on stage, revealing a dancer's journey from novice to prima ballerina. Observing young students, Degas drew their poses again and again, determined to achieve perfection. The book includes a brief biography of his entire life, endnotes, bibliography, where to see his paintings, and an index.

Discover the electrifying untold stories of the pioneering and groundbreaking women of Old Hollywood in this nonfiction book perfect for young movie buffs and budding feminists alike. While recent phenomena like #OscarsSoWhite have reminded us that Hollywood can be an unfriendly place to people of colour and to women, they have been an integral part of the industry from the beginning. In the early twentieth century, women from all walks of life fought against sexism and racism to succeed in Hollywood as actors, directors, costume designers, editors, and stuntwomen. From well-known, glamorous starlets like Mary Pickford and Lillian Gish, to under-appreciated trailblazers like Anna May Wong and Hattie McDaniel, acclaimed author Susan Goldman Rubin shows that movies wouldn't be the same without the women who succeeded against the odds and built Hollywood from the ground up. Filled with fascinating photographs and little-known facts, this rigorously researched book begins with a foreword from a Hollywood insider.

Award-winning author Susan Goldman Rubin introduces readers to the most well-known fashion designer in the world, Coco Chanel. Beginning with the difficult years Chanel spent in an orphanage, Goldman Rubin traces Coco's development as a designer and demonstrates how her determination to be independent helped her gain worldwide recognition. Coco Chanel focuses on the obstacles Chanel faced as a financially independent woman in an era when women were expected to marry; as well as her fierce competition with the Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli; and some of her most memorable firsts for the fashion industry, including the little black dress, the quilted purse with gold chain, and the perfume Chanel No. 5. The book includes a bibliography, a list of where to see her work, and an index.

This volume continues the tradition of Chronicle's other art books for the very young by featuring Matisse's cutouts (a style he worked in only in his last few years) and a simple story about dancing.

Shocking pink-hot pink, as it is called today-was the signature colour of Elsa Schiaparelli and perhaps her greatest contribution to the fashion world. Schiaparelli was one of the most innovative designers in the early 20th century, credited with many firsts: trompe l'oeil sweaters with collars and bows knitted in; wedge heels; shoulder bags; and even the concept of a runway show for presenting collections. Hot Pink-printed with a fifth colour, hot pink!-explores Schiaparelli's childhood in Rome, her introduction to high fashion in Paris, and her swift rise to success collaborating with surrealist and cubist artists like Salvador Dali and Jean Cocteau. The book includes an author's note, museum list of where to find Schiaparelli's fashions, endnotes, a bibliography, and an index.