From Miss Ida's Porch

Miss Ida's porch is a place where adults recall their past and where the youngsters love to listen in. On one perfect night, tales are told about two great African-American performers--Duke Ellington, who stayed at Mrs. Lomax's house when he was shut out of "whites only" hotels, and Marian Anderson, whose two historic concerts in Washington, D.C., testified to the power of the civil rights movement.

Sandra Belton is the author of many books of fiction, including the Ernestine & Amanda series, McKendree, Pictures for Miss Josie, and Store-Bought Baby. Her first book for children, From Miss Ida’s Porch, was called “a powerful debut” by Publishers Weekly in 1993. Belton grew up in Beckley, West Virginia, a town she describes as having wonderful porches—porches being a common theme in many of her stories. Belton graduated from Howard University and got her graduate degree in education from The George Washington University. Find out more online at ErnestineandAmanda.com and SandraBelton.com. 

Floyd Cooper received a Coretta Scott King Award for his illustrations in The Blacker the Berry and a Coretta Scott King Honor for his illustrations in Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea, Meet Danitra Brown, and I Have Heard of a Land. Born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mr. Cooper received a degree in fine arts from the University of Oklahoma and, after graduating, worked as an artist for a major greeting card company. In 1984, he came to New York City to pursue a career as an illustrator of books and now lives in Easton, Pennsylvania, with his wife and children.