Holding Her Own: The Exceptional Life of Jackie Ormes

An effervescent tribute to Jackie Ormes, widely considered to be the first nationally syndicated Black woman cartoonist in the United States.

In a buoyant profile and then a more detailed afterword, Todd takes her scandalously little-known subject from an exuberant child who “fills every space she can find” with drawings to the successful creator of several pre– and post–World War II comic strips featuring strong-minded young Black characters—notably Patty-Jo and Torchy Brown—who confront prejudice and fear in “quiet, mighty ways.” Reflecting her prominence in Chicago’s African American community, Ormes cuts a stylish figure in the jazzy illustrations, and Wright slips in samples of Ormes’ work to capture its vitality show more as well as the “Jackie joy” that characterized it. “I was always fighting battles,” she said, and along with championing women’s rights to work (and play: One cartoon reproduced here has Patty-Jo, dressed in tatters and holding a football, indignantly telling her sister, “What’cha mean it’s no game for girls? We got feet too, ain’t we?”), she was active enough in social causes and the early civil rights movement to be investigated by the FBI. Rather than complete this picture of her life, the author and the illustrator leave a blank page to represent the decades between her retirement from comics and her death in 1985, but there’s enough here to keep readers marveling at her distinctive character and achievements…and likely wondering why it’s taken this long to discover them. (This book was reviewed digitally; this review has been updated for factual accuracy.)

Long-overdue but welcome recognition for a pioneering graphic artist. (artist’s note, bibliography, photos) (Picture-book biography. 7-10)

-Kirkus Review show less

This book tells the story of Jackie Ormes, one of the first Black female comic book artists, and how she used her platform to convey powerful messages through engaging and creative illustrations. It’s ideal for middle elementary students, as some of the racial themes may be too complex for younger readers. The vibrant and captivating illustrations add to the appeal. I’d incorporate this book into an art unit to highlight the importance of using art to communicate a message, followed by an activity where students create their own comics to tell their stories.

" Hailing Her Own: The Amazing Life of Jackie Ormes" by Traci N. Todd is a really cool book that tells the story of Jackie Ormes, who was a super important cartoonist and journalist. She was one of the first Black women to make a big mark in an industry mostly run by white men, and she used her cartoons to talk about important stuff like race and gender. This book is great for teachers because it can help kids learn about Jackie Ormes and why she's so important. It can also start conversations about things like racism, sexism, and why it's important to have diverse voices in the media. Plus, it's a good reminder to kids that they can do big things no matter who they are

A good introduction to an interesting person, the first Black woman to be a nationally syndicated cartoonist.

This book for children is by nature frustratingly vague and doesn't feature many of her actual comic strips, so I'm going to try Jackie Ormes: The First African American Woman Cartoonist by Nancy Goldstein. That book is supposed to have over a hundred of her strips. It's a shame that there do not seem to be any collections of her strips in print. I also plan to read Liz Montague's recent picture book: Jackie Ormes Draws the Future: The Remarkable Life of a Pioneering Cartoonist.

In indexing this book, I see that I previously noted that Ormes' Patty-Jo 'n' Ginger characters have cameos in R. Sikoryak's odd tribute to classic comic show more strips and government documents, Constitution Illustrated. So this wasn't my first glimpse of Ormes after all. show less

This book follows the life of Jackie Ormes, one of the first Black female comic book artists. It shows how she uses her career and platform to communicate important messages through fun and interesting illustrations. I would recommend this book for middle elementary levels because some of the racial topics might be a little intense for younger readers. However, the illustrations are so fun and interesting! I would use this book during an art unit to show students how important it is to communicate a message with your art, and then I would ask them to draw their own comics telling their story.

The story of Zelda "Jackie" Ormes who was a writer, cartoonist and reporter. She used her influence to promote her ideas.

From Kirkus: "Long-overdue but welcome recognition for a pioneering graphic artist."