Dear Friends and Supporters of Children’s Literature, In a few months, The Brown Bookshelf Collective will celebrate 18 years of amplifying Black Children’s Literature creatives. Over the years, we have: Stood in the gap between creatives and the daunting task of getting exposure for their works Educated publishing executives on promotional best practices for their [ Read the full article… ]
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Catch us @NCTE25
*sings* It’s the most wonderful time of the year. While many teachers are counting down that clock to Thanksgiving break, thousands of English teachers and other members of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) will converge on Denver to talk pedagogy and books, books, books, books! And The Brown Bookshelf family will be [ Read the full article… ]
A Cup of Quiet by Nikki Grimes
Any book by poet and author extraordinaire Nikki Grimes is meant to be savored; her forthcoming title, A Cup of Quiet, is no exception. School Library Journal characterizes this intergenerational picture book as a “heartfelt story of time shared with family” that will “encourage imagination and exploration.” Kirkus Reviews describes it as “playful, soothing, and [ Read the full article… ]
Generations Book Club: Summer!
It’s time for another Generations Book Club lineup and I can’t believe how fast the summer is flying by. Some of us are already thinking about back-to-school. Some of us are trying to squeeze in a little more summer vacation time before we return to our normal routines in September. But all of us could [ Read the full article… ]
CDF Freedom Schools 60 for 60 Read Aloud Campaign
We are proud to support Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom Schools as they commemorate the 60th anniversary of Freedom Summer of 1964. To mark that milestone, they are recruiting 60 traditionally published children’s book creators to read at Freedom Schools around the country on the morning of Wednesday, July 17. Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati of the African [ Read the full article… ]
Generations Book Club: LGBTQIA Pride
June is full of celebrations: Father’s Day, Juneteenth and Black Music Month to name a few. But a beautiful one that needs more support is LGBTQIA Pride. There are so many amazing Black authors whose work deserves to be in schools, libraries and homes around the nation. Banning. Discrediting their work. Quietly pulling their books [ Read the full article… ]
Re-envisioning One-Dimensional Adoptee Narratives in KidLit
As more and more adoptees get published or share their stories, the response from readers and gatekeepers in kidlit publishing is often fraught with hurt feelings and a limited understanding of the nuances of the adoptee experience. In this conversation, Shannon Gibney and Mariama J. Lockington—two authors, scholars, and transracial adoptees—dive into how this tension [ Read the full article… ]
Announcing the 17th Class of 28 Days Later Honorees
Happy 2024, Friends! We were on hiatus most of last year. Happy to be back celebrating outstanding Black children’s book creators. This time, we’re doing something new. We’re collaborating with our Amplify Black Stories fellows to salute their work and give you an update on the members of The Brown Bookshelf team. Not familiar with Amplify [ Read the full article… ]