Most people know Marian Anderson from her historic concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939, which drew an integrated crowd of over 75,000 people in pre-Civil Rights America. While this momentous event showcased the uniqueness of her voice, the strength of her character, and the struggles of the times in which she lived, it is only part of her story. Like the operatic arias Marian would come to sing, Pam Munoz Ryan's text is as moving as a libretto, and Caldecott Honor medalist Brian Selznick's pictures are as exquisitely detailed and elaborately designed as a stage set. The woman who emerges most profoundly from their harmonious biography is a role model of courage, for even in the face of enormous obstacles Marian maintained her grace and dignity and fulfilled her dreams.Here is a woman who deserves wide recognition for her vital contributions to American history and music, to women and African-Americans, and to all of humanity.

Pam Munoz Ryan is the recipient of the NEA's Human and Civil Rights Award and the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award for multicultural literature. She has written more than thirty books which have garnered, among countless accolades, the Pura Belpre Medal, the Jane Addams Award, and the Schneider Family Award. Pam lives near San Diego. You can visit her at www.pammunozryan.com. In addition to The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick is the illustrator of the Caldecott Honor winner, The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins, and The New York Times Best Illustrated Walt Whitman: Words for America, both by Barbara Kerley, as well as the Sibert Honor Winner When Marian Sang, by Pam Muñoz Ryan, and numerous other celebrated picture books and novels. Brian has also worked as a set designer and a puppeteer. When he isn’t traveling to promote his work all over the world, he lives in San Diego, California, and Brooklyn, New York.