She has written books on the history of Black children's literature, and is most notable for her own children's books, which focus on African-American culture and her home state of South Carolina.
Johnson was born in Charleston[1] and graduated from Spring Valley High School in Columbia, South Carolina.
She earned her undergraduate degree in English and creative writing from Princeton University and master's and doctoral degrees from Yale University, in Afro-American Studies and American Studies, respectively.
[3] Her book was also considered for several years as "the only book-length critical study of early black children's literature".
[1] Quinnie Blue,[7] published in 2000, was featured in a Time Magazine list as one of the year's best books,[8] as well as in the Black Caucus of the American Library Association's top 20 books.