Baby Flo

Review
By Children's Literature

Florence began singing and dancing when she was just three years of age. She was a happy, vibrant child with an engaging personality. Starting on the small stage and dealing with racial prejudice, Florence continued to impress people. . . . In 1921 at the age of 25, she joined the cast of Shuffle Along and became the most popular black female entertainer in New York. Florence had many admirers including Charlie Chaplin, Duke Ellington, and Bill “Bo Jangles” Robinson. She went on to perform at a hugely successful cabaret show at the Plantation Room in New York, and then she sailed to London to perform in Dover Street to Dixie. . . . Then, sadly and suddenly she came down with tuberculosis in 1927, and passed away at the age of 31. Thousands of people showed up for her funeral in order to honor her. Both interesting and entertaining, this book offers colorful and large illustrations and easy to read text. This book will fit nicely in an elementary school social studies or history classroom.

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