Carlotta’s Special Dress

Carlotta Walls LaNier, the youngest of the Little Rock Nine, shares the true story about a girl, a dress, and the historic fight to attend an all-white school in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Carlotta can’t wait to wear her new dress on her first day of school. But when the moment finally arrives, she isn’t allowed to go. The year is 1957, and the people of Little Rock, Arkansas, don’t want Black students attending an all-white school and will do whatever it takes to keep them out. 

As hate and danger escalate, will Carlotta and her Black classmates, known as the Little Rock Nine, have the strength and perseverance to keep dreaming of a better world? 

This moving picture book autobiography from a Civil Rights pioneer—with extensive back matter including an author’s note, comprehensive timeline, and historical photos—introduces a landmark event in the fight for desegregation and demonstrates the world-changing power children have to enact change through bravery and faith.

• ★ "A patterned cotton dress… is the focal point of this riveting picture-book autobiography…. Eminently relatable to children… [with] a tight chronological approach…. The illustrations wonderfully capture the feel of the 1950s."
  Booklist, starred review
• "This colorfully illustrated, heartfelt account gives young readers an excellent introduction to the turbulent integration of public schools in the South… An intimate, well-crafted glimpse at the Civil Rights Movement."
  Kirkus Reviews
• "The story [Carlotta] writes here joins the preserved garment as a reminder of her harrowing journey. There’s strength in this story’s centering of hope…  making what Carlotta went through understandable for youngsters without glossing over the hate that fueled her need to be a hero instead of just a student."
  Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
• "Underlining the intersection of everyday and historic moments, Walls LaNier and Frazier Page take a child’s perspective to recount Walls LaNier’s experience in integrating Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., in 1957."
  Publishers Weekly