This is the perfect book to kick off Candlewick Press’s new Rainbow History picture book series of LGBTQ+ biographies. The book follows the energetic dancer—known as the grandfather of vogue and star of the film Paris Is Burning—from his childhood in New York City to his first performance at a Harlem drag ball.
As a child, Willi loved copying karate moves he saw on TV, posing like models in magazines, and imitating pharaohs in Egyptian hieroglyphs, we learn. His mother supported his imaginative movements and took him to the famed Apollo Theater to watch other dancers, allowing him to dream that he could one day join them.
He wasn’t sure where his type of dance would fit, though—until he saw other gay dancers in a park, practicing the new vogue style. They invited him to join them, and his world opened up. At his first ball, “He moved in ways no one had seen before.” But what would the judges think?
Joy Michael Ellison’s text smartly focuses on Willi’s character and spirit, his mother’s support, and how he found community—key aspects of his life that should resonate with young readers. Nabi H. Ali’s illustrations are the perfect match for Willi’s style, as they show him spinning across the pages with his imaginings pouring out of his mind and body in a kaleidoscope of colors.
An afterward offers more details about Willi Ninja’s life, a look at what life was like in general for queer and trans people during his time, more about ballroom and vogue, and a call to “Work like Willi!”
Readers should be both inspired and informed by this highly recommended volume.
