Jackie Ormes was the first Black female cartoonist to be nationally syndicated. This picture book biography utilizes stylized cartoonlike illustrations and energetic layouts to chronicle Jackie’s hard won success story. As a young woman in the 1930s, Jackie pushed to get a job as a reporter at the Black newspaper in Pittsburgh, though she really wanted to illustrate. She eventually started her own cartoon about a woman, Torchy Brown, who leaves Mississippi for fame and fortune in New York during the Great Migration. After marrying, Jackie relocated to Chicago, where she and her husband moved in wealthy and political circles. Jackie was monitored by the FBI for 10 years because of her political opinions and connections. During this time, Jackie was best known for her cartoon series about Patty-Jo, a sweet and spunky Black girl, in strips that didn’t shy away from addressing racism and social justice. Jackie went on to develop a Patty-Jo doll. A note from the author provides historical photos and additional details about Jackie Ormes’s life and the significance of her contributions as an artist. (Ages 8-12)