Working Cotton

New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1992. First edition of Sherley Anne Williams's award-winning account of a day in the life of a family of migrant farm workers, warmly inscribed by illustrator Carole Byard. Arriving by bus at the cotton fields, speaking “in smoky whispers” before the sun rises, the young narrator explains the rhythms of the work: “I’m a big girl now. Not big enough to have my own sack, just only to help pile cotton in the middle of the row for Mamma to put in hers.” The daughter of migrant workers in the California cotton fields, the prodigiously talented Williams achieved fame as a poet, novelist, playwright, critic, and performer (truncated) before her untimely death from cancer at the age of 54. Working Cotton, her first book for children, received both Caldecott and Coretta Scott King Honors in 1993. Byard’s vibrant paintings capture the beauty of the fields, from dawn to dusk, and the intensity of the family’s labor and bond. A near-fine copy of a remarkable book, scarce inscribed by illustrator Byard, in first-issue dust jacket without Caldecott Honor medal. Oblong volume, measuring 9 x 11 inches: [32]. Original glossy color pictorial boards, original unclipped color pictorial dust jacket, orange endpapers. Color illustrations on every page. Inscribed by Carole Byard on title page: "Dear Tom, / Thank you for being here. You have always been an inspiration to me. Always. / Love, Carole / Sept. 1994." Lightest edgewear to jacket. (Inventory #: 1003921)