While we’re happy to be featuring Julius Lester as one of our Vanguard authors, the word Vanguard doesn’t even come close to describing the type of career he’s had. Lester has published over forty books and his novels have received numerous honors, including the Newbery Honor Medal, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, National Book Award [ Read the full article… ]
I’m a bit of a theatre geek, and after this 2018 conversation with Chicago icon Useni Eugene Perkins, I was thrilled to get my hands on a copy of his BLACK FAIRY AND OTHER PLAYS, published by the legendary Third World Press. In the introduction he writes, “The images children associate with during their formative [ Read the full article… ]
Poet, playwright, and youth development professional Useni Eugene Perkins has a long history of distinguished work; it was some time before one of his most well-known poems was publicly known to be his, even though “if you were a black child in a Black classroom anywhere in the United States since 1975, there is a [ Read the full article… ]
By Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich In addition to the excitement and apprehension about tests, read alouds, and recess, there was tension as the school year got underway in many cities and educators wondered if and how to address the police killing of unarmed teen Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and the civil unrest that followed. Do [ Read the full article… ]
Look up the word “prolific” and there has to be a photo of a bright-smiling, Texas-dwelling diva named Angela Shelf-Medearis! Born in Virginia, Medearis called various places home at various times in her childhood, thanks to life with a father who was a recruiter for the Air Force. She settled in Austin, Texas at age [ Read the full article… ]
The Children’s Book Council once identified James E. Ransome as “one of the 75 authors and illustrators everyone should know”…and we agree. The Coretta Scott King Illustration Award winner and oft co-collaborator with wife, Lesa Cline-Ransome, is known for creating stunning art for popular picture books such as Uncle Jed’s Barbershop (Simon & Schuster), Visiting [ Read the full article… ]
Crazy Quilts has announced its Crazy-Color Summer Reading List. Recall, that Edi Campbell called for suggestions so that she could create a diverse list of teen reads. Naturally, when I hear diverse I immediately think race. But Edi took it several steps beyond that and chose ten books that touched across race, culture, genre and [ Read the full article… ]
The Brown Bookshelf Announces 2009 Spotlight Authors & Illustrators The Brown Bookshelf, today, announced the twenty-four authors and four illustrators to be spotlighted in the groups’ second annual 28 Days Later initiative, a month-long celebration of veteran and emerging children’s authors of color. “Spotlighting these authors is like giving a big gift to the readers [ Read the full article… ]
