Emma

“It’s an unusual plot for a picture book, but Wills pulls it off, emphasizing both Emma’s unrealized desire to read and write and the importance of literacy to the successful negotiation of power structures…. The message is clear and convincingly conveyed: Literacy is survival.” --Kirkus Reviews\nTV journalist Cheryl Wills previously gripped readers with her popular illustrated children’s book The Emancipation of Grandpa Sandy Wills. The best-selling book is her intimate story about her great-great-great grandfather Sandy Wills and his transformation from Tennessee slave to courageous Civil War soldier fighting for his own freedom. Now, Cheryl is once again using her voice to speak for the silenced and forgotten in her sequel book, Emma. Emma was Sandy’s wife, a brave and strong enslaved woman. Emma dreamed of being free and literate. She never let her dreams die. Emma had to fight for everything in her life – her freedom, her hope, and the pension she was entitled to as the wife of a deceased soldier. Emma introduces themes like perseverance, leadership and initiative to students while educating them about historic events. If Emma could achieve her goals, perhaps so can all the girls that have come after her, like her great-great-great granddaughter, Cheryl Wills. Today, Emma continues to speak with encouragement, love and discipline to readers so that they, too, can dare to dream and reach their own goals