Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce is a six-time Olympic medal winner and holds several national and world athletic titles including the 2013 IAAF World Female Athlete of the Year Award. In recognizing her contribution to sport and the country as a whole, the government of Jamaica awarded Fraser Pryce the Order of Distinction, and, in 2018, unveiled a statue of her at the National Stadium. She is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador; the founder of the Pocket Rocket Foundation which assists promising high school athletes, the owner of Shelly’s Café, and also a hair salon, Lady Shelly Beauty. Ashley Rousseau‘s short stories have been published in Calabash: A Journal of Caribbean Arts and Letters and Small Axe. Rachel Moss is an illustrator who spends her days working on children’s books such as Abigail’s Glorious Hair, Milo & Myra Learn Manners with Mr. Mongoose, and The Happiness Dress. In I Am a Promise (Black Sheep)
Shelly Ann takes readers on a journey from her childhood in the tough inner-city community of Waterhouse in Kingston, Jamaica, through her development as a young athlete, to her first Olympic gold medal in the 100-meter sprint in 2008. It’s a story that underscores her commitment to hard work as well as the encouragement of loved ones. I Am a Promise encourages young readers to believe in themselves and to maximize their own promise to the world. Kirkus Reviews praised the work of Fraser Pryce, Rousseau and Moss noting that the book “offers a text that’s accessible to new readers […] Firmly outlined in black and opaquely colored, Moss’ images complement this moving story while highlighting both Pryce’s determination and the spirit of Jamaica, especially the support of a loving community …”