Only ten years after publishing her first children's book, Angela Johnson has already become recognized as an author who can be counted on to create realistic portrayals of family life, both the joys and the troubles. While her picture books and young adult novels feature African American protagonists, critics have observed that Johnson's stories have a universality that makes them accessible to readers of all ages and backgrounds. "Johnson is a master at representing human nature in various guises at different levels," asserted Twentieth-Century Children's Writers contributor Lucille H. Gregory. Gregory also noted a "high consistency" in Johnson's books, a commendation echoed by Rudine Sims Bishop in Horn Book: "All [of Johnson's works] feature charming first-person narrators.... The characters are distinct individuals, but their emotions are ones shared across cultures."

Johnson was born in Alabama in 1961, and grew up there and in the state of Ohio. Stories and...