“Exquisitely deep in vogue.” Kirkus Reviews(starred review)

Kicking off a picture book series of LGBTQ+ biographies is this inspiring story of the incomparable dancer Willi Ninja, Grandfather of Vogue and star of the filmParis Is Burning.

When little Willi Leake watched karate movies with his mother in their cozy Queens apartment, hed slice the air with his arms like swords. Hed swish his hips like the models he saw in magazines and copy ancient pharaohs poses from Egyptian hieroglyphs. Bursting with energy, Willi would strut his way down the street, and his mother would tell him not to mind the puzzled looks hed get. When she took him to the Apollo Theater to watch ballerinas twirling, Willi allowed himself to dreamand the more he dreamed, the more he danced. With an accessible text and dynamic illustrations, Joy Michael Ellison and Nabi H. Ali trace Willis path against the odds as he brings his signature moves to the dance style known as vogue and finds his spotlight at the Harlem drag balls where a performer known as Willi Ninja is born. Providing context, community, and comprehension of queer and trans culture for young history buffs, the lively narrative is followed by back matter delving into more details about Willi Ninja and what life was like during his time.

Joy Michael Ellisonis a writer, professor, and activist. Their published books includeSylvia and Marsha StartaRevolution!. Their political commentary has been featured inThe Washington Post,Columbus Alive, andMatter News. You can find their creative writing in theBaltimore Review, Story Club Magazine,andLunch Ticket, to name a few publications. When not writing, teaching, or organizing, Joy Michael Ellison loves watching birds.

Nabi H. Aliis a Tamil American illustrator who enjoys creating diverse works that showcase an array of cultures and people. They have illustrated the picture booksLove Is Here with You: A Lullaby of Blessingsby Jyoti Rajan Gopal,We Move the Worldby Kari Lavelle,Beautifully Meby Nabela Noor,Laxmis Moochby Shelly Anand, andAll the Way to the Top: How One Girls Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everythingby Annette Bay Pimentel, among others. They also illustrated the graphic novelMs. Marvel: Stretched Thinby Nadia Shammas and the middle-grade fantasy novelShaktiby SJ Sindu. Nabi H. Ali lives in California.

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publish Date: May 05, 2026
• Pages: 48
• Language: English
• Type: Hardcover
• EAN/UPC: 9781536230086
• Dimensions: 10.9 X 9.5 X 0.4 inches | 1.1 pounds
• BISAC Categories: Kids