Discover the remarkable story of Paul R. Williams, a child who lost both parents at age 4 and grew up to become the first certified Black architect west of the Mississippi in 1921 and legendary L.A. “Architect to the Stars”. In spite of constantly being told he would never become an architect, and not being allowed to eat or stay in the restaurants and hotels he worked on, he helped shape L.A. by designing over 2,000 homes and buildings in the city, including the redesign of the Beverly Hills Hotel as it exists today (he chose its signature pink and green colors). Because of the racism he experienced, one of the things he was known for was being able to draw “upside down” so clients who felt uncomfortable sitting next to a Black man could see them right side up across the table from him. He said, “Virtually everything pertaining to my professional life during those early years was influenced by my need to offset race prejudice.” Losing both his parents at a young age, he became focused on the concept of “home” and designing homes for families, in spite of not being allowed to live in many of the neighborhoods he designed homes in. He designed homes for the biggest celebrities of the day, such as Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball. His granddaughter said, “He believed that for every home and every commercial building that he could not buy and that he could not live in, he was opening doors for the next generation." His homes continue to be highly coveted and sought after and in spite of countless challenges, he became one of America’s greatest architects. This stunning nonfiction picture-book biography is from Caldecott Honor–winning author @andreajloney and NAACP Image Award–nominated artist Keith Mallett.
 Releases September 27 from @randomhousekids @knopfkids. Ages 4-8.