[In the following review, Miller-Lachmann offers praise for Working Cotton.]

[The protagonist of Sherley Anne Williams's Working Cotton,] Shelan is the third of four daughters in a family of African-American migrant workers. With a spare grace, she narrates one day in their lives as they work in the fields picking cotton. Although she is too young to do much, the girl helps pile cotton for her mother, who carries baby Leanne as she works. Sometimes, she befriends other children, "But you hardly ever see the same kids twice, 'specially after we moves to a new field." As the day wears on, the heat builds and boredom and fatigue grow. Sweat pours off the children's faces, and Shelan observes, "It's a long time to night." Finally, the sun sets, the bus comes, and the tired laborers take their bundles and leave. Williams's narrative is based on a set of poems about her childhood experiences. Told in modified black English, the text presents a unique voice and sense of immediacy, but also requires sensitivity on the part of readers. [Illustrator Carole] Byard's sweeping double-page spreads show the closeness of the family and their struggle to survive. These powerful acrylic paintings, coupled with the elegant text, allow readers to consider each scene as a complex entity in itself. The rhythm of the story is the rhythm of the workday, starting slowly, then building in intensity at the heat of the day, and finally winding down with a portrait of hope for a better tomorrow. Young children will enjoy listening to the story, but there is much here to ponder for older children as well.