Johnson, Angela 1961-

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Johnson, Angela 1961-

PERSONAL:

Born June 18, 1961, in Tuskegee, AL; daughter of Arthur (an autoworker) and Truzetta (an accountant) Johnson. Education: Attended Kent State University.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Kent, OH.

CAREER:

Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), Ravenna, OH, child development worker, 1981-82; freelance writer of children's books, beginning 1989.

MEMBER:

Authors Guild, Authors League of America.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award, U.S. Board on Books for Young People, 1991; Coretta Scott King Honor Book designation, American Library Association Social Responsibilities Round Table, 1991, for When I Am Old with You, and 1998, for The Other Side: Shorter Poems; Coretta Scott King Author Award, 1993, for Toning the Sweep, and 1998, for Heaven; MacArthur Foundation grant, 2003; Coretta Scott King Award, and Michael J. Printz Award, both 2004, both for The First Part Last.

WRITINGS:

PICTURE BOOKS

Tell Me a Story, Mama, illustrated by David Soman, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1989.

Do like Kyla, illustrated by James Ransome, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1990.

When I Am Old with You, illustrated by David Soman, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1990.

One of Three, illustrated by David Soman, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1991.

The Leaving Morning, illustrated by David Soman, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1992.

The Girl Who Wore Snakes, illustrated by James Ransome, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1993.

Julius, illustrated by Dav Pilkey, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1993.

Joshua by the Sea, illustrated by Rhonda Mitchell, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Joshua's Night Whispers, illustrated by Rhonda Mitchell, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Mama Bird, Baby Birds, illustrated by Rhonda Mitchell, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Rain Feet, illustrated by Rhonda Mitchell, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Shoes like Miss Alice's, illustrated by Ken Page, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1995.

The Aunt in Our House, illustrated by David Soman, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1996.

The Rolling Store, illustrated by Peter Catalanotto, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1997.

Daddy Calls Me Man, illustrated by Rhonda Mitchell, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1997.

Maniac Monkeys on Magnolia Street, illustrated by John Ward, Random House (New York, NY), 1999, bound with When Mules Flew on Magnolia Street, Yearling (New York, NY), 2005.

The Wedding, illustrated by David Soman, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Those Building Men, illustrated by Mike Benny, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1999.

Down the Winding Road, illustrated by Shane W. Evans, DK Ink, 2000.

Rain Feet, illustrated by Rhonda Mitchell, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 2001.

When Mules Flew on Magnolia Street, illustrated by John Ward, Alfred A. Knopf (New York, NY), 2001, bound with Maniac Monkeys on Magnolia Street, Yearling (New York, NY), 2005.

I Dream of Trains, illustrated by Loren Long, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2003.

Just like Josh Gibson, illustrated by Beth Peck, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2003.

Violet's Music, illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith, Dial Books (New York, NY), 2004.

A Sweet Smell of Roses, illustrated by Eric Velasquez, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2005.

Lily Brown's Paintings, illustrated by E.B. Lewis, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 2007.

Wind Flyers, illustrated by Loren Long, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2007.

OTHER

Toning the Sweep (novel), Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1993, reprinted, 2000.

Humming Whispers (novel), Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1995.

Songs of Faith (novel), Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1998.

Heaven (novel), Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1998.

The Other Side: Shorter Poems, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1998.

Gone from Home: Short Takes (stories), Dell (New York, NY), 2001.

Running Back to Ludie (novel), Orchard Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Looking for Red (novel), Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2002.

A Cool Moonlight (novel), Dial Books (New York, NY), 2003.

The First Part Last (novel), Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2003.

Bird (novel), Dial Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Work included in anthologies, such as Gone from Home: Short Takes, DK Publishing, 1998, and In Daddy's Arms I Am Tall, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2003.

ADAPTATIONS:

Many of Johnson's novels have been adapted for audiobook, including Humming Whispers, Recorded Books, 1997, and The First Part Last, Listening Library, 2004.

SIDELIGHTS:

Angela Johnson first drew critical attention for creating picture books depicting African-American children and their warm, loving relationship to parents, grandparents, siblings, and friends. While Johnson's stories focus on black families, they also capture emotions and experiences that are familiar to young readers of all cultures. Her fiction for older children, which includes both short stories and novels such as Running Back to Ludie, The First Part Last, and Bird, tackle difficult issues such as divorce, the death of a sibling, and chronic illness with an emphasis on learning to survive and thrive after such devastating events. "Johnson is a master at representing human nature in various guises at different levels," asserted Twentieth-Century Children's Writers contributor Lucille H. Gregory. Rudine Sims Bishop, writing in Horn Book, maintained that Johnson's books "feature charming first-person narrators." These narrators "are distinct individuals," Bishop added, "but their emotions are ones shared across cultures."

In Tell Me a Story, Mama, which Bishop called an "impressive debut," a little girl asks her mother for a familiar bedtime story and ends up doing most of the storytelling herself as she reminds her mother of each favorite part. Another creative child is featured in Lily Brown's Painting, as a little girl is transported to amazing places through her art—and the illustrations created by noted illustrator E.B. White. In her Horn Book review of Tell Me a Story, Mama Maria Salvadore maintained that by "providing a glimpse of one African-American family, Johnson has validated other families' experiences, regardless of racial or ethnic background." Also transcending culture and race, Lily Brown's Painting will "inspire readers to don their painting smocks and create new worlds of their own," according to School Library Journal critic Marianne Saccardi.

Johnson features characters whose lives are enriched by familial affection and reassurance in books such as One of Three, When I Am Old with You, Just like Josh Gibson, and Violet's Music. In Do like Kyla, a young narrator describes how she imitates her older sister all day, but at bedtime revels in the fact that "Kyla does like me." The young narrator of One of Three relates the fun she has being one of three sisters, as well as the frustration of not being able to join in some of the things her older siblings do. The Coretta Scott King Honor Book When I Am Old with You spotlights a boy who tells his grandfather the things they will do together when the boy catches up to him in age. Reviewing One of Three, a Publishers Weekly critic praised Johnson for her "perceptive and understated text," while Karen James, writing in School Library Journal, admired the way Johnson captures "the underlying love and strength of positive family relationships."

Just like Josh Gibson tells a story of empowerment as a young African-American girl repeats the family story of how her Grandma was trained to play baseball almost from birth. Growing up during the 1940s and 1950s and encouraged by her father to be as good a player as Negro League athlete Josh Gibson, Grandma was al- lowed to play with the local team only occasionally. The girl eventually shows off her skill when she pinch hits for an injured player and assures the all-male Maple Grove All-Stars a win. The story "has a baseball announcer's suspenseful rhythm," according to Engberg, and in an afterward Johnson included a biography of the well-known real-life baseball player. While calling Johnson's story "slight," Susan Scheps concluded in School Library Journal that Just like Josh Gibson successfully communicates the message "that a girl can succeed at a ‘boy's game’ if she sets her mind to it." "Johnson never disappoints," a Kirkus Reviews writer declared, describing Just like Josh Gibson "a sweetly powerful and slyly subversive tale."

A young girl wins like-minded friends through self-expression in Violet's Music, as Violet's love of making music is nurtured by her family until it blooms as a talent for playing guitar. Gillian Engberg praised Johnson's decision to depict Violet as upbeat and committed to following her muse rather than a lonesome outsider, writing in Booklist that the "repetitive phrases and … onomatopoeia" featured in Violet's Music "continue the story's cheerful energy and beat." Praising Johnson's "jazzy story," School Library Journal contributor Jane Marino added that the book "celebrates music as much as it applauds being true to what you love."

Unusual pets join the young protagonists in The Girl Who Wore Snakes and Julius. In the former, Ali's strong interest in snakes, which she wears as jewelry, surprises everyone in her family except her snake-loving aunt. Julius, illustrated by Dav Pilkey, features a young girl named Maya who receives Julius, an Alaskan pig, from her grandfather. Together, Maya and Julius teach each other new tricks and enjoy a variety of adventures. Betsy Hearne, writing in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, called Julius a "gleeful celebration of silliness."

In Shoes like Miss Alice's, Sara is hesitant about being with a new babysitter. Her fears are quickly dispelled, however, and a bond is formed when Miss Alice changes into a different pair of shoes for each special activity they do together. "Tucked in the tale is a nice message about being open to new people walking into your life," noted Booklist reviewer Ilene Cooper. In The Rolling Store, a young black girl tells her white friend a family story about a general store on wheels that used to serve her grandfather's rural community when he was a boy. With help from the visiting grandfather, the girls create their own mobile store out of a small red wagon. "Johnson's family story has a certain nostalgic appeal," noted Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books editor Janice M. Del Negro. Booklist reviewer Stephanie Zvirin deemed The Rolling Store "a sweet, upbeat story."

Several of Johnson's picture books deal with historical people or epochs. In I Dream of Trains Johnson takes a poignant look at engineer Casey Jones through the eyes of a fictional black field worker. A young boy toiling in the heat lives for the moment when the mighty engine roars by and dreams of the day when he will board a train and leave the hard work behind. He is bolstered in his fantasy by the knowledge that some of those who work with the mighty Casey Jones are black men. In Black Issues Book Review Suzanne Rust wrote: "Bold and provocative in prose, picture and content," I Dream of Trains is "a work worthy of any contemporary collection."

The civil rights movement is the focus of A Sweet Smell of Roses, which focuses on the children who became part of the struggle for racial equality led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In a text paired with illustrations by Eric Velasquez, two sisters witness the heckling King receives as he makes a speech in their town and ultimately decide to join the march. According to Booklist contributor Hazel Rochman, the older sister's "clear, first-person narrative draws on the language of the struggle," and in School Library Journal Mary N. Oluonye praised A Sweet Smell of Roses as a "quiet, gentle story" that makes "more real … this chapter of American history." A Kirkus Reviews contributor wrote that Velasquez's "marvelous" artwork provide Johnson's story with "extra punch and impact," dubbing the fact-based picture book "powerful and moving."

In Wind Flyers Johnson pairs what Engberg described as "spare, poetic lines" with realistic artwork by Loren Long to share a boy's memories of his beloved great-great uncle, a pilot with the historic Tuskegee Airmen who flew during World War II. From the uncle's first rides in a barnstormer as a young boy, Johnson's verses move forward in time, focusing on the man's wartime service as part of the black air corps and his piloting following the war. "Long's acrylics beautifully extend the evocative words," concluded Engberg in her review of Wind Flyers, while in School Library Journal John Peters praised the work as a "soaring … tribute to both the … African-American pilots and to the profound longing to fly that impelled them." Johnson's text is "as light and graceful as the air in which the … [airmen] navigated their planes," wrote a Publishers Weekly critic, concluding that author and illustrator work together to "turn a quiet moment in history into a story that will send spirits soaring."

In 1993, Johnson published her first novel for older children. In Toning the Sweep fourteen-year-old Emily participates in the final days of her cancer-stricken grandmother's life by videotaping the ailing woman as she visits with friends, recalling stories of the past. "Full of subtle nuance, the novel is overlaid with meaning about the connections of family and the power of friendship," maintained School Library Journal contributor Ellen Fader. Booklist reviewer Quraysh Ali lauded the work, asserting: "With ingenuity and grace, Johnson captures the innocence, the vulnerability, and the love of human interaction as well as the melancholy, the self-discovery, and the introspection of adolescence." Mary M. Burns in Horn Book cited for special note "the skill with which the author moves between times past and times present without sacrificing her main story line or diluting the emotional impact."

Humming Whispers focuses on Sophie, an aspiring dancer who worries that she is developing the schizophrenia that afflicts her older sister. Rochman characterized the novel as "a bleak contemporary story of suffering, lit with the hope of people who take care of each other in the storm." School Library Journal contributor Carol Schene observed that while "there are no easy answers" for the characters in the book, "the frailty and strength of the human spirit" displayed by each one make the story memorable. Elizabeth Bush, writing in Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, stated that the author "ably demonstrates the pervasive effects of mental illness on an entire family," and a Kirkus Reviews critic praised the way Johnson "carefully and richly fleshes out the characters."

Focusing on another medical condition, A Cool Moonlight tells the story of Lila, a child stricken with xeroderma pigmentosum, a rare oversensitivity to sunlight. Forced to live a nocturnal lifestyle, Lila takes solace in imaginary friends until her ninth birthday, when she comes to terms with her individuality. In her Horn Book review of A Cool Moonlight, Joanna Rudge Long commended Johnson for her ability to include the "deft touches that make this spare portrait so effective."

The author drew particularly favorable reviews for her novel Heaven. Here fourteen-year-old Marley is the beloved only child in a happy family—until, by accident, she discovers that her parents are actually her uncle and aunt, and her real father is an itinerant "uncle" she hardly knows. This revelation leads Marley to investigate exactly what constitutes a family unit and how her identity is shaped by those who love her. Praising the book for its "plain, lyrical writing," Booklist contributor Rochman concluded that in Heaven the author "makes us see the power of loving kindness."

Readers first meet Bobby, the hero of The First Part Last, in Heaven. In The First Part Last, Johnson spins the story of Bobby's unexpected teenage parenthood, how it compromises his ambitions to be an artist but in return offers him the opportunity to love his infant daughter and connect with his parents. The responsibility for a helpless infant is scary—and at times frustrating—but Bobby is sustained by his fond memories of the past and moments of enjoyment in the present. In a Publishers Weekly review of The First Part Last, a critic praised the way Johnson "skillfully relates the hope in the midst of pain."

Difficult family situations inform both Running Back to Ludie and Looking for Red. In Running Back to Ludie a teen narrator explores the mixed emotions she experienced as she prepares to meet the mother who abandoned her to live in the woods. Long, writing in Horn Book, maintained that the free-verse style of the novel highlights the narrator's feelings of rejection and reconciliation. "Johnson's exploration of the process is subtle and beautifully wrought," the critic concluded. Looking for Red offers a more straightforward narrative with a dark secret at its core. Red's sister Mike is still reeling from grief in the wake of his disappearance, and she receives small solace from Red's equally traumatized friends. Only as the story proceeds does the reader realize that Mike and Red's friends share some of the responsibility for his accidental death. "The strength of this story is the accurate portrayal of the surreal nature of grief laden with guilt," observed Jean Gaffney in School Library Journal. In Horn Book Long praised the "luminous ease" with which Johnson depicts the characters, "both their estrangement from reality and their eventual return toward it."

Described by a Kirkus Reviews writer as a "poignant tale" about "friendship, family, and human limitations," Bird finds Johnson's thirteen-year-old title character on the road as a runaway. Traveling from Ohio down to rural Alabama in the hope that she can convince her stepfather to return to her family, the teen meets interest- ing new friends along the way, including teens Ethan and Jay and elderly Mrs. Pritchard. As she becomes more receptive to others, Bird learns that even the people who seem happy on the outside often carry sadness in their heart. Other narratives include Ethan and Jay, and their stories interweave with Bird's tale in surprising ways. Although a Publishers Weekly contributor found Johnson's narrators surprisingly mature for their age, the "overwhelming kindness" of all the characters in Bird allow readers to share in the "compassionate world" that allows Bird to learn and grow. In her "open-ended, interconnected" storylines, Johnson demonstrates "how small kindnesses can ease the grip of grief," Miriam Lang Budin wrote in School Library Journal, concluding that Bird reveals "many truths about human emotion."

Humorous in tone, Maniac Monkeys on Magnolia Street and its sequel, When Mules Flew on Magnolia Street, introduce Charlie, a girl who must adjust to new friends and new surroundings after moving to Magnolia Street. Told from Charlie's point of view, the two chapter books reveal how the youngster adapts to new situations by being "open to the small wonders around her," to quote Helen Rosenberg in Booklist. In her Booklist review of When Mules Flew on Magnolia Street, Denise Wilms likewise praised the "small slices of life" Johnson serves up for early readers.

Johnson once told CA: "I don't believe the magic of listening to [my grade-school teacher] … read us stories after lunch will ever be repeated for me. Book people came to life. They sat beside me in Maple Grove School. That is when I knew. I asked for a diary that year and have not stopped writing. My family, especially my grandfather and father, are storytellers and those spoken words sit beside me too." In recognition of her work in children's literature, Johnson was honored with a 2003 MacArthur Foundation grant, a half-million-dollar prize awarded to a select few individuals in the arts and sciences who are thought to be making unique contributions to the betterment of society.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Children's Literature Review, Volume 33, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1994, pp. 93-96.

Twentieth-Century Children's Writers, 4th edition, St. James (Detroit, MI), 1995, pp. 493-494.

PERIODICALS

Black Issues Book Review, July-August, 2003, Suzanne Rust, review of I Dream of Trains, p. 65.

Booklist, April 1, 1993, Quraysh Ali, review of Toning the Sweep, p. 1432; February 15, 1995, Hazel Rochman, review of Humming Whispers, p. 1072; March 15, 1995, Ilene Cooper, review of Shoes like Miss Alices, p. 1334; February 15, 1997, Stephanie Zvirin, review of The Rolling Store, p. 1026; September 15, 1998, Hazel Rochman, review of Heaven, p. 219; November 15, 1998, Helen Rosenberg, review of The Other Side: Shorter Poems, p. 579; January 1, 1999, Helen Rosenberg, review of Maniac Monkeys on Magnolia Street, p. 878; February 15, 2000, Michael Cart, review of Down the Winding Road, p. 1118; November 15, 2000, Anna Rich, review of Heaven, p. 657; January 1, 2001, Denise Wilms, review of When Mules Flew on Magnolia Street, p. 960; February 15, 2001, Henrietta M. Smith, review of Rain Feet, p. 1161; January 1, 2002, review of Running Back to Ludie, p. 858; September 1, 2003, Hazel Rochman, review of The First Part Last, p. 122; October 1, 2003, Carolyn Phelan, review of A Cool Moonlight, p. 324; October 1, 2003, Gillian Engberg, review of I Dream of Trains, p. 328; February 15, 2004, Gillian Engberg, review of Just like Josh Gibson, p. 1077; March 15, 2004, Gillian Engberg, review of Violet's Music, p. 1308; February 1, 2005, Hazel Rochman, review of A Sweet Smell of Roses, p. 978; February 15, 2005, Brian Wilson, review of The First Part Last, p. 1988; December 1, 2006, Gillian Engberg, review of Wind Flyers, p. 52; February 1, 2007, Gillian Engberg, review of Lily Brown's Paintings, p. 60.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, May, 1993, Betsy Hearne, review of Julius, p. 284; April, 1995, Elizabeth Bush, review of Humming Whispers, p. 278; May, 1997, Janice M. Del Negro, review of The Rolling Store, pp. 325-326; January, 2002, review of Running Back to Ludie, p. 176; October, 2003, Karen Coats, review of A Cool Moonlight, p. 65; February, 2004, Janice Del Negro, review of Violet's Music, p. 236; March, 2004, Elizabeth Bush, review of Just like Josh Gibson, p. 280; December, 2004, Karen Coats, review of Bird, p. 172; February, 2005, Elizabeth Bush, review of A Sweet Smell of Roses, p. 254.

Horn Book, September-October, 1992, Rudine Sims Bishop, "Books from Parallel Cultures: New African-American Voices," p. 620; March-April, 1993, Ellen Fader, review of Julius, pp. 196-197; September-October, 1993, Mary M. Burns, review of Toning the Sweep, p. 603; March-April, 1995, Maria Salvadore, review of Tell Me a Story, Mama, p. 229; November, 1998, Nancy Vasilakis, review of The Other Side, p. 750; November-December, 2001, Joanna Rudge Long, review of Running Back to Ludie, p. 766; July-August, 2002, Joanna Rudge Long, review of Looking for Red, p. 463; September-October, 2003, Joanna Rudge Long, review of A Cool Moonlight, p. 611; September-October, 2004, Christine M. Heppermann, review of Bird, p. 587; January-February, 2005, Martha V. Parravano, review of A Sweet Smell of Roses, p. 79.

Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 1995, review of Humming Whispers, p. 470; September 1, 2001, review of Running Back to Ludie, p. 1292; September 1, 2003, review of A Cool Moonlight, p. 1125; December 15, 2003, reviews of Just like Josh Gibson and Violet's Music, p. 1450; July 15, 2004, review of Bird, p. 688; January 1, 2005, review of A Sweet Smell of Roses, p. 53; December 1, 2006, review of Lily Brown's Paintings, p. 1221; December 15, 2006, review of Wind Flyers, p. 1269.

New York Times Book Review, November 16, 2003, Marsha Wilson Chall, "One-Track Minds," p. 24.

Publishers Weekly, August 9, 1991, review of One of Three, p. 56; August 3, 1998, review of Heaven, p. 86; November 16, 1998, review of The Other Side, p. 76; November 23, 1998, review of Maniac Monkeys on Magnolia Street, p. 67; March 22, 1999, review of The Wedding, p. 91; March 6, 2000, review of Down the Winding Road, p. 109; May 27, 2002, review of Looking for Red, p. 60; June 16, 2003, review of The First Part Last, p. 73; October 20, 2003, review of I Dream of Trains, p. 53, and A Cool Moonlight, p. 55; January 12, 2004, reviews of Violet's Music and Just like Josh Gibson, p. 53; October 18, 2004, review of Bird, p. 65; January 3, 2005, review of A Sweet Smell of Roses, p. 55; November 20, 2006, review of Wind Flyers, p. 57; January 1, 2007, review of Lily Brown's Paintings, p. 49.

School Library Journal, October, 1991, Karen James, review of One of Three, p. 98; April, 1993, Ellen Fader, review of Toning the Sweep, p. 140; April, 1995, Carol Schene, review of Humming Whispers, p. 154; January, 2001, Maria B. Salvadore, review of When Mules Flew on Magnolia Street, p. 101; March, 2001, Susan Helper, review of Those Building Men, p. 236; December, 2001, Nina Lindsay, review of Running Back to Ludie, p. 164; July, 2002, Jean Gaffney, review of Looking for Red, p. 120; September, 2003, Maria B. Salvadore, review of A Cool Moonlight, p. 215; October, 2003, Catherine Threadgill, review of I Dream of Trains, p. 126; February, 2004, Jane Marino, review of Violet's Music, p. 114; March, 2004, Susan Scheps, review of Just like Josh Gibson, p. 172; September, 2004, Miriam Lang Budin, review of Bird, p. 209; March, 2004, Mary N. Oluonye, review of A Sweet Smell of Roses, p. 174; January, 2007, John Peters, review of Wind Flyers, p. 98; February, 2007, Marianne Saccardi, review of Lily Brown's Paintings, p. 88.