As a child, Vona Hill once heard the phrase “Jack of all trades, master of none.” Although she liked the first part of that saying, she found the second half much too limiting. Sure, she would enjoy dabbling in a little of everything, but certainly, she could learn to master a few of those things. She could probably even learn to master many of them. So why, then, shouldn’t she be able to master them all?
She’s a life-long learner with an optimistic attitude and an insatiable curiosity. She’s self-assured, confident, and has a ‘can-do’ way of looking at every obstacle. She’s brave and risk-taking, and she knows her self-worth.
And sadly, she has found that all of these empowering attributes are often frowned upon, just because she is a woman and just because she is Black. This book inspires that can-do spirit in every child.”
When one hears Vona talk, it’s clear that she herself grew up determined to break society’s limits. Her list of achievements is long: a chemical engineer, business strategist, serial entrepreneur, youth football coach, instructor, graphic designer, journalist, anti-racism activist, wife, and mother to three boys. And still, she has a growing set of skills she plans to master.
Now adding author and illustrator to that list, she has written the book series that she wishes she had when she was a child.
In her books, Vona shares her “break the sky” messages with children everywhere. Her goal is to bring excitement and adventure to learning about all the great things a child can grow up to be. But most importantly, she wants children to know that there is no shame in being ambitious enough to go for their dreams and no disgrace in being confident enough to believe they can reach them.
Vona looked up to people, like her mom, who defied the limits that society unjustly tried to put on them. She gained motivation from the powerful women and men who have shattered glass ceilings before her. And still today, she stands on their shoulders so that she can reach the sky, and if necessary, break that too.
“Dare to reach for the sun. If you make it, you’re golden. If you fail, you’ll land on mountains … and that’s not a bad place to land!”
– Vona Hill, Author & Illustrator of Little Miss Everything