Lift as You Climb: The Story of Ella Baker 

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years

• Grade Level: Preschool - 3

• 2020 Junior Library Guild Selection

• 2020 A Mighty Girl’s Books of the Year

• 2021 ALA Rise: A Feminist Book Project List Selection

  For classroom and reading resources, click here.

SUMMARY

“What do you hope to accomplish?” asked Ella Baker’s granddaddy when she was still a child.
Her mother provided the answer: “Lift as you climb.”

Long before the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s, Ella Baker worked to lift others up by fighting racial injustice and empowering poor African Americans to stand up for their rights. Her dedication and grassroots work in many communities made her a valuable ally for leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and she has been ranked as one of the most influential women in the civil rights movement. In the 1960s she worked to register voters and organize sit-ins, and she became a teacher and mentor to many young activists.

Read about Ella Baker’s story through Patricia Hruby Powell’s magical storytelling and R. Gregory Christie’s vivid portraits in the fight for freedom and equality.

REVIEW

“A highly informative picture book biography that captures the determination and strength of an influential civil rights leader and adds to students’ understanding of the civil rights movement.”— School Library Journal