James Haskins

Born at home September 19, 1941, in rural, segregated Demopolis, Alabama, to parents who did not attend high school but “fostered a love of books and of reading” in their son’s life, Haskins had a thirst for literature. Because the public library did not admit Black people, his mother bought encyclopedias, one at a time, from the local supermarket, and brought them home to her son. A White woman who knew his mother also began to check out library books for Jim to read.

In his segregated school, where textbooks were out of date and inaccurate, the need for the story of the Black experience to be shared was painfully evident, and when Haskins went to the prestigious Boston Latin School, he took to heart lessons in activism, and responsible dissent. As a student at Alabama State University in Alabama, Haskins contacted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and worked with the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement in protests against segregation. For his work toward justice, Haskins was expelled from Alabama State. He went on to complete his Bachelor’s degree at Georgetown University, then went back to Alabama State for another bachelor’s degree, and followed that with a Master’s degree from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

Haskins went on to work as a stockbroker, and then a teacher in Harlem, NY. His teaching experiences led to his first published book, Diary of a Harlem School Teacher (1969). In addition to the CSK awards and honours, Haskins was also awarded the Carter G. Woodson Award for young adult non-fiction for his books Black Music in America, The March on Washington, and Carter G. Woodson: The Man Who Put “Black” in American History. His Count Your Way series (on the Arab World, China, Japan, Russia) won the Alabama Library Association Award for best work for children in 1988, and in 1994, he was presented the Washington Post Children’s Book Guild Award for a body of work in nonfiction for young people. Haskins went on to write and teach in a dazzling array of capacities, including a stint as guest curator for the Smithsonian Institutions Traveling Exhibition Services, general editor of the Hippocrene African Language Dictionaries series and the John Wiley & Sons’ Black Stars series, and a member of the board of the legendray Black history magazine Footsteps, published by Cobblestone Press. Professor Haskins served on the faculty of the Department of English at the University of Florida; the African-American Studies Program has established a fellowship for visiting scholars in his name. Dr. James Haskins died on July 5, 2005, but this was a man on a lifelong mission to educate and enlighten the world, and his legacy as an author for all ages and historian lives on and shines bright.

Here’s a question: When you think of someone who is a classical pianist, a poet and published novelist, what age range of person immediately pops in your head?  Thirties? Forties? Older?

Not this time.

Meet twenty-year-old Noni Carter, a young, talented woman, putting all of her music and writing talents to use.

Noni loves to write about historical fiction, with a special interest in African American history.  The Brown Bookshelf is delighted to honor her during our 28 Days Program.

Tell Us About Your Journey to Publication.

I set out writing Good Fortune at the young age of twelve. It began with a dream- a dream to take my passion for writing and for teaching through the written word and combine that with my desire to learn about my past, my history, my family, and my ancestors. The inspiration hit when, one evening, my great Aunt Addie sat the family down in my home and began to share ancient family stories with the group. Of all of the stories in the heap, it was one in particular that reached out to me, the story of my great-great-great grandmother Rose who, at the tender age of twelve, stood on the banks of the Mississippi River and watched as her mother disappeared over the horizon on a ship, sold away, never to be seen by her daughter again. This story somehow dug into the depths of my soul, and encouraged me to make a dedication to share this legacy of slavery, to use the inspiration my great-great-great grandmother gave me to reach into the hearts and minds of other young people like myself. And this I did. At fifteen, the storyline of the manuscript was complete. As the Universe had it, we met one of the most openhearted, talented, and supportive individuals – publisher, writer, poet, and speaker Mr. Kwame Alexander- who took me as a mentor of sorts and helped guide my family and I through the rollercoaster of the publishing world. Finally, in January of 2010, Simon & Schuster released the manuscript.

With the release, I’ve had the opportunity to travel and share with young people a message I like to call my “five E’s”, concepts both applicable to the past, as well as to this present 21st century, messages that endorse creativity, a desire to be lifelong learners, a commitment to freeing ourselves from what hold us back in order to succeed, and an understanding that when we follow our passions, everything else will fall into place. If I can spread these messages of learning, of academic excellence, of listening to voices from the past, of reaching with zeal for the future, of staying committed to the dreams that lie within, I will have accomplished a large aspect of my purpose here.

Who or What Inspired You?

When I think about the writers and creators that have an influence on the way I see this world of artistry, I realize how diverse and varied this (ever-growing) list is for me. I’m always moved by the ability of words alone to touch the heart, something individuals like Haiti’s Frankétienne and our Maya Angelou have illustrated to me. From a young age, I’ve been inspired by the novels and novelists that ventured into my world from the African & African American folktales I grew up reading to the mystery/fantasy books that created new worlds for me.

There are certain mentors that have helped shape the world of creativity I enter into when I write, mentors both of yesterday, such as Zora Neale Hurston, Pauline Hopkins, Charles Chestnutt, etc. who speak to me on the levels of individuality, of a struggle towards freedom, of self-love, and of the importance of history, and those mentors of today like Alice Walker who’s works have represented for me a pivotal space in the arena of women’s thought.

Of course, there are also the artists who, on a technical level, make me a better writer and speaker. I think of Tananarive Due, one of the most talented thriller writers in the genre of science fiction, and Octavia Butler with her ability to expand the mind. There are the historical-fiction writers such as Khaled Hosseini who open my heart and allow it to take flight as well as the spiritual writers such as Paulo Coelho who litter novels with a deeper sense of responsibility readers must recognize in their lives and in their worlds. There’s Mr. Ashley Bryan, children’s author and illustrator who I realized, after having the pleasure of traveling with him in Kenya for two weeks, brought to me an entirely different method of looking at the power of writing in his ability to use the platform of poetry to touch children around the world. Without a doubt, I think also of the inspiring voices who cannot be named but who, through their words and stories, helped guide me with patient hands through my childhood and still speak to me from the place of wonder and joy, reminding me of the importance of retaining a sense of child-like wonder in my works.

I strive to integrate these qualities that I speak of here in some manner or another into my writings in order to create stories that come alive and build hope in our spirits, the very kind that gives us the desire and drive to use the tools around us to make a difference in our communities, in our world.

The Buzz For Good Fortune

- School Library Journal vol. 56 iss. 4 p. 151 (c) 04/01/2010

… on the whole the narrative flows smoothly and is well paced. An author’s note about fact and fiction in the book adds weight to the historical information included.

Readers can find me at my facebook fan page Noni Carter Author. Also, please feel free to visit my website, www.nonicarter.com, or email me at nonicarter952@aol.com.

On the site, readers can find a new initiative that I’ve begun called THE NONI CARTER EXPERIENCE in which Good Fortune can come to your school! I have also done a few radio interviews including NPR’s OnPoint with Tom Ashbrook in January 2010 and Cover to Cover, have been reviewed in several articles including the Atlanta Journal Constitution, and am currently traveling and/or skyping with schools across the country, sharing the values and lessons Good Fortune has to offer. We are looking for sponsors who will support this Good Fortune school tour. Please feel free to check out this journey, this site, and to connect with me! Blessings.

Thanks so much, Noni!

Denise Lewis Patrick

She wrote and illustrated her first book when she was ten, stitching the pages together on her mother’s sewing machine. Armed with more than 35 books, Denise has publishers waiting in line to stitch together her latest words. Whether it’s poetry, board books, picture books, historical fiction, middle grade, young adult, or biographies Denise has written it. She is filled with a generous nature which shows as Denise shares her expertise with the young writers she mentors at a local middle school.

Denise is married and the mother of four sons. She writes from her home in New Jersey.

Today, the second day of our fifth annual 28 Days Later campaign, we’re honoring Denise Lewis Patrick for her writing successes and her contributions to the world of children’s publishing.

The Journey

When people ask me what I do, I say, “I’m a writer.”  If any of my family is around, they quickly remind me to say, “author.”  But that’s never how I think of myself.  I’ve always wanted to tell stories.  When I was very young, I made up stories about my dolls, or even the people in magazine ads… I still find stories everywhere.  I started writing poetry when I was eight or nine. So, from early on, I knew writing would be a part of my life.

Growing up in a small town Louisiana, though, I never thought of writing as a career choice.  My parents, a grandmother, aunts and cousins were all teachers.  I didn’t plan on that, but it was a possible way to go.  Then in high school, I worked on the newspaper, and the literary magazine.  I took journalism courses.  I discovered that people could get paid a living to write.  Wow!  My first real fight with my parents was over my decision to major in just Journalism, and not Journalism Education.  I went to the state college three blocks down the street, and somehow I ended up with an internship at Essence magazine in New York during senior year.

That internship turned into my first publishing job.  It didn’t last long, but there I met and was introduced to other African American writers and authors, and joined the Harlem Writers Guild.  In my spare time I wrote poetry, and none of my short stories ever quite got finished. Workwise, I hopped and skipped around, landing at Scholastic.

That’s where I found my voice writing for young people of all ages.  The challenge, which I eagerly accepted, was learning to write about real life topics—news—for kids in a clear and non-condescending way.  I also got the opportunity to have fun there, writing both original plays and adaptations, creating puzzles and games, and educational activities for teachers to use with the magazine content. After five years at Scholastic, I was hooked on the children’s publishing industry.

It took a few more years and the urging of my best friend and my husband for me to stop fiddling with other people’s words, and start working with my own again.  I eventually did freelance in educational publishing, and various work-for-hire book projects.  I got the idea for my first trade picture book, Red Dancing Shoes (1993), while I was watching a dance sequence at the Metropolitan Opera.  The dancers’ red shoes reminded me of the red patent leather Mary Janes I had and loved as a little girl.  I wrote a draft in about a week. I am still shocked at the longevity of that book.   I moved up to middle grade historical fiction with my novel, The Adventures of Midnight Son, published in 1997.  Since then, I just let the ideas take me where they want to go, so I’m writing everything from poetry to long and short fiction for pre-school, middle grade, Y/A, as well as adult readers.

The Inspiration

My inspiration over the years has come from many different sources, including the gossip and stories I heard from the grown folks around me when I was a child. But I’m most turned on by the use of words and language—the rhythm of language, I guess.  That’s probably why poetry was my first love.  I spent hours as an adolescent, reading Nikki Giovanni and Don L. Lee, Sonia Sanchez, June Jordan and Amiri Baraka—sixties revolutionary stuff.  I started emulating their styles, playing with words and ideas and rhythms.

I’ve always loved reading, and that has shaped me as a writer for sure. As a young poet, imagery became important to me: Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, Lucille Clifton… they layered story between their rhythms.  My reading tastes expanded to fiction, and I started paying close attention to story, and how the best stories play on our emotions through the writers’ use of imagery.

Imagery is, of course, tied tightly to description.  I became fascinated by Southern women writers like Flannery O’Connor, Eudora Welty and Zora Neale Hurston.  Then dove into British classics by Dickens, Trollope, Jane Austen.  As a young adult, I found Gabriel Garcia Marquez and other writers with different world perspectives.  The way these authors recreated their own worlds and created entirely new ones with their storytelling amazed me!  And the beauty of even their individual sentences sometimes moved me so much that I had to read the lines over and over again out loud.

All of these writers and more inspired me to try layering all these elements—imagery, description, rhythm—in my work, be it poetry or fiction; be it for children or adults.

Red Dancing Shoes recreates the community of my childhood in its names and dialogue and textures.  Another of my picture books, Ma Dear’s Old Green House, does this too, using visual imagery and the smells and sounds of a certain kind of childhood.  In my latest published work, Meet Cécile, Troubles For Cécile, and Cécile’s Gift (three American Girl historical fiction novels), I created something new: the world of a free girl of color in 1853 New Orleans.  I think I called on all of my muses to come up with imagery and description that’s vivid enough to make Cécile Amélie Rey real to readers.

The Back Story

Believe it or not, the American Girl project came about when I got a phone call “out of the blue,” as they say.  I was sitting in my kitchen and my parents were visiting from Louisiana.  The phone rang during lunch, and the caller ID said “American Girl.”  That was curious to me because we’re not exactly a girly household—I have four sons. I couldn’t imagine what the call was about.

The American Girl editor had a copy of The Adventures of Midnight Son in her hands.  I was very surprised, because at that point the book had been out of print for a year or so, and my and my agent’s attempts to get it back in print hadn’t worked out.  It was hard to find, but she’d found it.  And she loved what I’d done—put all those layers I spoke about into this story of a young African American escaped slave who becomes a cowboy.  You know, for an author to hear unexpected praise for her work like that is humbling (and sort of other worldly, to me!).  She said reading it made her think I would be right for one of their projects, and asked if I’d be interested.   When I answered that I would, she told me I had to sign a confidentiality agreement before she divulged anything.  I agreed, and it took another day for that to happen.  When I told my parents, my mother—who is very hip—was very excited, maybe more than I was.

The next day I discovered that the story would be set in New Orleans, my Dad’s hometown, and that one of the two historical characters would be a free girl of color.  I said, “Yes!” before she could even give me more details.  I was in.

It was only later that I realized what a huge deal the project was, and is, in American Girl world.  It’s the first time they’ve introduced two new historical characters at once, the first time they’ve had two authors on one series, the first time they’ve done an interwoven storyline.

The company flew Sarah Masters Buckey, the other author, and me out to corporate headquarters.  She and I planned and plotted out all six books, then returned to our separate homes to write three books each.  Both characters appear in all the books.  The project was challenging and thrilling, like completing a difficult puzzle.

The Buzz

Because my three books are part of a six book series, most reviews and press coverage include all six titles, and sometimes the dolls which represent the characters. The anecdotal “buzz” from our ten-city book tour (September through November 2011) was great from American Girl fans, who seemed delighted to have another historical character of color.  All were intrigued by the New Orleans location, and the idea of the two characters’ stories being so interconnected.

Video:

http://www.americangirl.com/play/historical-character/cecile-mariegrace/#page=home&popup=featurevideo

Press:

http://www.crackingthecover.com/4157/authors-become-friends-while-creating-american-girl-characters/

Other Honors:

The Cécile doll and book was named one of Parenting Magazine’s Best Toys for 2011

The Cécile and Marie-Grace Best Friends Collection received a National Parenting Publications Association (NAPPA) Gold Award (their highest honor). As part of this award, the Gold-winning product is highlighted in over 50 regional parenting publications in their November and December issues.

Find out more about Denise Lewis Patrick at www.deniselewispatrick.com.

During a summer in Tuscany, Alexander wrote Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band (illustrated by Tim Bowers, published by Sleeping Bear Press), a jazzy story of a rooster who dreams of winning a barnyard talent show. Filled with fun characters like Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald and vibrant art,  it’s already a winner. The book has been nominated for a NAACP Image Award and been selected as a featured title for the 2013-2014 Choose to Read Ohio program, a statewide reading initiative sponsored by the State Library of Ohio.

It’s our pleasure to salute Kwame Alexander, a veteran writer adding a fresh voice to the kidlit scene, on the first day of our fifth annual 28 Days Later campaign:

The Journey

Brooklyn Public Library. New York. 1978. I remember being forced to walk across Linden Boulevard. See we read at home all the time. My father was a writer, my mother and English teacher. Our walls were lined with shelves and shelves of books, so the idea of spending a fun day on a Saturday at the library was torturous at best. Once we got there, it was not too bad. My sisters were making beads and crafts in one room. My mother was reading a vegetarian cookbook somewhere, I was watching a film. It was truly a family experience. And it was joyous for each of us for our own reasons. Even my father, who was always busy being a revolutionary, attended, and was usually doing research. He’d written 16 books, and we had to read each of them. He was never too talkative (with us). Any answers we needed were to be found in books (and there were always quizzes). Aside from the books that lined the walls of our home, there were close to a hundred milk crates stocked with books. They were his most prized possession. He was in such a love affair with books that he decided when I was three, to start a publishing company. And we, my sisters and I, were his employees. We licked stamps for envelopes with catalogues in them, we worked trade shows. We even used to answer his business line. Back then, phone service was so expensive, so we only had one line—for personal and business. I literally hated all things literary, by the time I was a teenager. When I went to college to study biochemistry, I wanted to be as far away from hardcovers and paperbacks as possible. Of course, two things happened during sophomore year that would bring my life full circle: 1) I encountered a course called organic chemistry, and 2) Nikki Giovanni became a visiting professor at my college. I changed my major to English, and four years after graduation, my first book came out. I now have fourteen books published—poetry, non-fiction, fiction, how-to, and children’s—and both of my daughters have or will be reading all of them.

The Inspiration

Being the father of a three-year old, I read about five different children’s books a night. If it were not for the library, I’d go broke. I am inspired by countless poets who write children’s literature. I tell my poet friends all the time, that all the ingredients that go into making a good poem—concise language, imagery, rhythm, etc.—are perfect for cooking up a good children’s book. Plus, you can make a little bit of money. For that reason, I have been influenced by the greats: Nikki Giovanni, Naomi Shihab Nye, Walter Dean Myers, Lucille Clifton, Leslea Newman, & Eloise Greenfield. Because I think of myself as somewhat funny, there are some contemporary writers that I love reading as well. Books like Giraffes Can’t Dance, Click Clack Moo, and everything by Mo Willems.

The Back Story

I speak at a lot of writing and literacy conferences. I especially love the conferences for librarian and English teachers. Anyway, I was delivering a workshop at the Florida Reading Association conference in Orlando. I think the topic was using poetry to engage student readers. What I remember most about the workshop, is that there were about five people in the room, including me.  But, I read a lot of poetry, and we had lots of fun. I guess there was a little buzz around my workshop, so much that the conference director asked me to stick around the next day and be a featured author at the luncheon. She guaranteed that there’d be a lot more than five people.

The next day, I, along with three children’s authors, read at the author’s luncheon. Unlike the other authors, I hadn’t written a children’s book. And so, I read and performed pieces from some of my poetry books. The audience response was bananas! You would have thought it was a rock concert, and I was the star. Afterwards, I sold and signed quite a few poetry books. One of the children’s authors, Brad Herzog, asked me if I’d ever considered writing children’s books. I told him “yes,” that I had (even though I’d never seriously entertained it). Weeks later, we emailed each other, and I asked him for a contact at his publisher, Sleeping Bear Press. Subsequently, I sent his editor a few of my poetry books, which she said she really enjoyed. We then exchanged emails, and in one of the emails I mentioned that I was working on a few books for kids (which I wasn’t). She asked to see them, and so I set off to write my first children’s books.

The first was a picture book based on an old South African folktale that Eartha Kitt made famous, and my mom used to tell me as a kid. The editor didn’t much care for it.

The second was a picture book about a Rooster who plays Jazz music. The idea came to me one morning when a group of birds were “singing” outside my window. On a trip to Tuscany, I was able to fine tune the idea after an encounter with about twenty roosters on a gravel road. Acoustic Rooster & his Barnyard Band was born. The editor loved the book.

The whole process, from meeting Brad at the conference, to signing the book deal, took about six months.

The Buzz

NAACP Image Award Nominee

Choose to Read Ohio Pick (2013/2014)

“This delightful picture book explores the rich history of jazz via a story about a guitar-playing rooster who sets out to compete in the annual Barnyard Talent Show to find the farm’s best band. Rooster would like to join Thelonius Monkey’s crew, but the rules don’t permit zoo animals. Ella Finchgerald has a trio, but Rooster doesn’t scat. He decides to form his own band. “So, he went to see his cousin,/a pianist of great fame./And found him on the riverbank./Duck Ellington’s his name.” Duck, in top hat and bow tie, takes Rooster to the famed Cotton Club to hear Bee Holiday and other jazzy animals perform. Although the barnyard chicks “swoon” when Rooster’s group plays The Hen from Ipanema, not even an encore in “grand finale style” wins the band first prize. Still, shades-wearing Mules Davis’s comment, “That Rooster sure can play,” leads to a satisfying ending. The large illustrations are done in bold colors and have humorous, jazzy details. Notes on “Musicians, Characters, and Music” are included in the back matter. Children who enjoyed Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s Punk Farm (Knopf, 2005) will be taken with this one.”

– School Library Journal

“Acoustic Rooster hopes to win the Barnyard Talent Show. But first he needs a band. Turned away by Thelonius Monkey, Mules Davis, and Ella Finchgerald, he starts his own jazz band with Duck Ellington, Bee Holiday, and Poncho Ernesto Cruz. Focusing on the performers, anthropomorphic animals who bear resemblance to the real-life musicians in small details (Duck’s top hat, Bee’s flower in her hair), Bowers’ illustrations cleverly fade everything outside of the spotlight to shades of gray. Rooster cries when he comes in second to Mules Davis, but he heads proudly back to the coop when he garners the trumpeter’s praise . . . “

– Booklist

Video Trailers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04qVKuSIQxo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIppF3f3_p8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdbHRLh54GU&feature=related

The State of the Industry

I know that people generally are predicting the end of printed kids picture books. I don’t buy it.  My three year old gets to play with our iPad for maybe 30 minutes a day.  She loves it, and that can be expected. But, here’s the rub. Every night, after she brushes her teeth, I tell her, “Okay, Samayah, go and get a book or two for me to read.” Not once, has she gone to get the iPad. As much as she loves it, as many eBooks that are on there and that she likes reading, when it comes down to our nightly ritual of father-daughter bonding, she runs and gets a book. A real book with a spine and pages she can grab and hold (and tear). There is no substitute for the cool, calm kiss of paper on finger. Not saying there won’t be, but right now printed books are beautifully human. And I for one plan on writing and promoting a ton of them.

Find out more about Kwame Alexander at www.bookinaday.org.

1. What is Something Like Hope about?

It’s the story of Shavonne, a fierce and desperate seventeen year-old who finds herself in a large juvenile lockup hundreds of miles from home. She wants to turn her life around, but her problems seem too big, and time is running out. Amidst corrupt guards, out-of-control girls, and shadows from her past, Shavonne must fight for a redemption she’s not sure she deserves.

2. Was it difficult for you to write this story?

It was. At the time, I was working as a psychologist in a girls’ detention center. It was a violent, chaotic place, and I’d leave feeling tired, confused, and generally hopeless. Questions nagged at me. Like, do we really need to lock up children for misdemeanors and status offenses (infractions that aren’t illegal for adults)? Is it possible to do good work in a corrupt system and not be complicit? And if it’s not possible, what should I do? Quit? Fight the system? There were many other questions, and writing the book became a way to try and deal. I’d stay up late, typing, satisfied that at least I’d given voice to some of the struggles I’d witnessed.

3. Why did you write Something Like Hope with an African American Protagonist?

I thought it needed to be told from that perspective. I had spent many years listening to tragic stories from girls who appeared to be invisible, without power or voice. Most were African American, and had family histories of abuse, neglect, illiteracy, mental illness, etc. And even though the stories were sad, terribly sad, they contained flashes of insight, strength, and dignity. I wanted to capture this, and to do it accurately required a female African American protagonist.

But apart from this formal reasoning, I heard (or imaged hearing) Shavonne’s voice. Other books I’ve written may have started with an idea, an image, or a situation. I say may have because who really knows? But this one, so far as I can tell, started with a voice resonating quite clearly in my head. It was an angry voice, but also intelligent. This last part is very important, I think, because Shavonne’s intelligence is the undeveloped strength that holds the key to her redemption, small though it might be. She can’t really change her past, but she can learn to think differently about it, and that’s how she grows.

4. What were the challenges you encountered in capturing the voice of an African American female teenager?

If I can change the challenges to risks, I’d say the first risk is failure. There are so many ways for a writer crossing gender and race to get it wrong. Unbelievable characters. Stilted language. Forced or shallow emotions. Or simply showing to the world through your writing that you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about!

The other big risk is of stepping on others’ cultural toes. I think the question that best speaks to this is, “what gives you the right to write this book?” It’s a good question, a fair question, and perhaps the best answer in this case is, “because no one else was going to write that particular book.” The girls I got to know in lockup read everything they could get their hands on. And yet, there were so few books with characters and stories that reflected their experiences. It’s invalidating, if you think about it. Every kid should be able to find books that speak to him/her, books that offer different perspectives.

5. What kind of response have you received from the African American community in response to Something Like Hope?

People have been very positive. The most frequent comment has been, “I read it straight through, from beginning to end.” This has been seconded by, “I keep thinking about Shavonne; she reminds me of…” Those are good things for any writer to hear, but I have been especially grateful for the openness of readers and critics to allow a forty-year old white man tell the story of a seventeen-year old African American girl. It would be easy to dismiss the whole thing, and yet…people haven’t. I am grateful for this, because the alternative is to write only within the boundaries of our own racial, cultural, and/or gender identities. Imagine if we could only tell stories about people who look and dress and talk exactly like us?

6.  Not necessarily a question, but these very impressive reviews for Something Like Hope:

A Booklist starred review book

“Shavonne’s voice—witty, tender, explicit, and tough—will grab readers. In the tradition of Walter Dean Myers’ and Jacqueline Woodson’s novels, this winner of Delacorte’s 2009 prize for best YA debut gets behind the statistics to tell it like it is.”

School Library Journal

 “Those teens who applauded the urban survivors in Sapphire’s Push and Coe Booth’s Tyrell will do the same for [Goodman’s] Shavonne.” 

7. Are you working on another novel? If so, can you tell us about it?

My next book is called Kindness for Weakness, and it’s a little bit of Catcher in the Rye meets One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. It should be out in summer, 2013, with Delacorte. The title actually comes from a line in Something Like Hope, but it’s a very different kind of book. It lacks much of the drama and emotion, yet I think it’s every bit as powerful. Perhaps more.

Thanks so much, Shawn!

You can read more about Something Like Hope at:  http://www.shawngoodmanbooks.com

“Twenty years of putting on this book fair has reinforced my belief that children will read if you put good books in front of them,” she said. “They will read if they have books they can relate to.”

Over the years, her fair has brought more than 500 African-American authors and illustrators to the area. Thousands of new books have been given away to children in need. With the illiteracy rate and closing of bookstores around the country, her work is even more important now, she said.

“When bookstores close, introducing children to the love of reading becomes more of a challenge,” said Lloyd-Sgambati, who is also a library consultant who helps assess their collections and incorporate new books. “Parents can’t go in and browse. It’s tough to select a book online too. The key to finding good books is knowing who the authors and illustrators are.”

That’s where the African American Children’s Book Fair comes in.

“The African American Children’s Book Fair highlights some of the best books of our generation,” she said. “These authors and illustrators cover every aspect of African American lives.  The books are well-written and beautifully illustrated.  These books will open the door to a love of reading and enlightened children of all ages.  We also stress the importance of having a home library. Our mantra is “TAKE A BOOK HOME.”  Every home should have an area that is the family reading center.  Also getting our children to read means everyone in the family should be reading.”

Nearly two decades ago, 250 people braved the cold to attend the first African-American Children’s Book Fair at John Wanamaker Department Store in Philadelphia. Today, the book fair, held in the gymnasium of the Community College of Philadelphia, attracts thousands. In fact, not only is it one of the oldest single-day events for African-American children’s books, it has grown to become one of the largest too.

For some children, the book fair will be the first time they meet a black children’s book author or illustrator, the first time they receive a personalized book.

“Every time a book is sold that means a story is told,” Lloyd-Sgambati said. “Telling those stories enables the African American book industry to grow. This growth will mean that our legacy, our history is preserved.”

Lloyd-Sgambati said securing sponsors for these non-profit efforts is always a challenge, but those who help support the effort to make sure children have books in the home.  This year’s sponsors include local NBC affiliate, NBC10, PECO, Comcast, Health Partners Foundation and McDonald’s.

“For some children this ownership and the opportunity to meet the person who wrote and illustrated the book make the pages comes to life,” she said.

Along with having authors and illustrators sign books and read excerpts, the fair will feature workshops including one on cartooning led by syndicated cartoonist and children’s book illustrator Jerry Craft. An area called Literary Row will offer free promotional materials and a parent’s book resource section.

“Twenty years is a great accomplishment for any effort, but the success of this event is the community who recognizes that books empower and enrich a child’s life,” Lloyd-Sgambati said. “I also created this platform to support the works of the African American publishing community. Many of the authors/illustrators get no press for their great works, so I use my skills as literary consultant to put them front and center.  The line-up this year has some of the best books of our time.  Talented is an understatement.”

ABOUT THE FAIR:

20th Anniversary African American Children’s Book Fair

Saturday, February 4, 2012, 1-3 p.m.

Community College of Philadelphia (Gymnasium)

17th Spring Garden Street

Free and open to the public

For more information, please call 215-878-BOOK

FEATURED AUTHORS AND ILLUSTRATORS:

Jabari Asim

Tonya Bolden

Regina Brooks

R. Gregory Christie

Bryan Collier

Kerri Conner

Floyd Cooper

Jerry Craft

Nancy Devard

L. Divine

Sharon Flake

Deborah Gregory

Al Hunter, Jr.

E.B. Lewis

Kelly Starling Lyons

David Miller

Walter Dean Myers

Marilyn Nelson

Vanessa Brantley Newton

Jerry Pinkney

Sean Qualls

Deborra Richardson

Amira Shiraz

Javaka Steptoe

Shadra Strickland

Linda Trice

Elizabeth Zunon

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Contact Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati at 215-877-2012 or  vlloydsgam@aol.com.

Visit The African-American Children’s Book Project (host of the book fair) at www.theafricanamericanchildrensbookproject.org.

Click on image for full size poster.

We’re proud to announce our twenty-four authors and four illustrators spotlights marking our fifth annual 28 Days Later initiative, a month-long celebration of veteran and emerging children’s authors of color.

There was a time when we considered doing something BIG to mark the fifth year. Five years is a wonderful milestone. In five years we’ve gained three additional Brown Bookshelf members helping to spread the word on good books, we’ve aligned ourselves with other great bloggers and most importantly, once you add this year’s great batch of creative artists to the mix, we’ve profiled 140 authors and illustrators.

Then we realized that simply bringing you these special profiles was big enough. But we’d like your help making sure the word gets out that The Brown Bookshelf is the place to hit for any reader, parent, teacher or librarian looking for great books by and about people of color. Tell a friend to tell a friend to come back every single day in February and we’ll officially seal the deal on doing big things for kiddie lit.

So without further ado, the 2012 28 Days Later Features:

February 1 – Kwame Alexander
February 2 – Denise Lewis Patrick
February 3 – Noni Carter
February 4 – James Haskins
February 5 – NiNi Simone
February 6 – Keith Shepherd
February 7 – Nikki Giovanni
February 8 – Tracey Baptiste
February 9 – TL Clarke
February 10 – Atinuke
February 11 – Bryan Collier
February 12 – Earl Sewell
February 13 – Debbi Chocolate
February 14 – Lynda Jones
February 15 – Calvin Alexander Ramsey
February 16 – L. Divine
February 17 – Charlotte Riley Webb
February 18 – Bil Wright
February 19 – Pansie Hart Flood
February 20 – Traci Dant
February 21 – Nikki Carter
February 22 – Sharon Robinson
February 23 – Teresa Harris
February 24 – Sofia Quintero
February 25 – Malorie Blackman
February 26 – Alice Faye Duncan
February 27 – Elizabeth Zunon
February 28 – Margaree King Mitchell

Right now, I’m on a 9-day blog tour. At each stop, there  is something special like a review, interview or guest post. You can see the full schedule here, read reviews of Ellen’s Broom here and check out the trailer here.

But I wanted to do something a little different at BBS. Our mission is to raise awareness of children’s book creators of color. So in that tradition, I’d like to celebrate the release of my new book by celebrating others. Below, you’ll find a list of six more multicultural children’s books about weddings.

Please spread the word about these titles and share them with children you know. And if you know of others, please list them in the comments.

Oh, and if you leave a comment on this post or any of my blog tour stops, you’ll be entered in a drawing for the grand prize giveaway – a wedding/anniversary broom donated by Stuart’s Creations and a poster of the Ellen’s Broom cover. Thank you for your support.

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Flower Girl Butterflies (Greenwillow Books) by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard, illustrated by Christiane Kromer. 

The Buzz on Flower Girl Butterflies:

“All of the excitement and anxiety of a wedding day are captured in this charming picture book. When young Sarah is asked to be a flower girl in her Aunt Robin’s wedding, the child is consumed with doubts. She worries that she will forget to throw her flowers. She’s nervous about tripping in front of everyone, getting sick, or ruining her new dress. With the loving reassurance of her African-American family, she calms her fears enough to walk down the aisle. After all, she has to be a “big girl” role model for the little ring bearer. This book is a wonderful celebration of family as the grandmothers and several uncles and cousins come to spend the night before the wedding at Sarah’s house. Sarah’s big moment is a perfect splash of pink background and scattered pink petals with the child’s dark skin gleaming against her white flower-girl dress. The lovely bride, in a frothy white gown, follows. The collage textures added to the watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations give the book a tactile look. A warm, family-oriented story that children will love.”

– School Library Journal

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Jumping the Broom (Scholastic) by Sonia W. Black, illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu.

The Buzz on Jumping the Broom:

“Upbeat without being preachy or sentimental, these titles in the new Just for You! easy-reading series tell realistic stories of African American family life with excitement and grace. In Jumping the Broom, Erin’s big sister is getting married. Everyone is happy except Erin, who can’t find the right gift–until Grandmother tells her about jumping the broom, a wedding tradition that started among slaves. The characters are beautifully defined in both words and pictures, and many kids will recognize Erin’s pride in honoring her roots . . .”

- Booklist

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Nikki & Deja: Wedding Drama  (Clarion, debuts March 2012) by Karen English, illustrated by Laura Freeman.

The Buzz on Nikki & Deja:

“Ms. Shelby is getting married! As the girls in Nikki and Deja’s class compete over who
can plan the best imaginary wedding for their teacher, Nikki excitedly throws herself
into preparations for the real thing. But Deja is not so enthusiastic. Her Auntie Dee has
been temporarily laid off from her job, and Deja is worried. What will happen now
that she can no longer afford a new dress and special hairdo? Will Nikki leave her best
friend behind while she shops and primps? Will Deja be able to get over her jealousy
and enjoy the celebration anyway?
This is a charming entry in a chapter book series praised for its accessibility, authenticity,
and humor..”

– Amazon.com

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Snapshots from the Wedding (Puffin) by Gary Soto, illustrated by Stephanie Garcia.

The Buzz on Snapshots from the Wedding:

“There’s nothing like a wedding, and this book about a wedding is not quite like any other. Soto takes readers to a Mexican American nuptial, and young Maya, the flower girl, is the lens through which the action is seen. All the fun of the event is here: the altar boy with the dirty sneakers under his gown, Maya putting pitted black olives on each of her fingers, the kids whacking one another with balloons. There are the more traditional moments as well–the wedding kiss, the wedding cake, and the toast to the bride and groom. The text’s free verse could have been illustrated in many ways, but the choice of three-dimensional artwork was inspired. Created with Sculpy clay, acrylic paints, wood, ribbons, and flowers, the art is displayed in large boxes set against pages covered with lace. The doll-like members of the wedding are exaggerated just enough to be amusing; at times, just a body part or two are highlighted, as when Maya’s feet are shown on top of her father’s while they dance. Just like a wedding album, this will be looked at over and over.”

– Booklist

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The Wedding (Orchard), by Angela Johnson, illustrated by David Soman.

The Buzz on The Wedding:

“Through the eyes of young Daisy, readers experience and anticipate the preparations for her sister’s wedding-”Long dresses, flowers, wrapped boxes, and tissue-paper rooms-with everybody saying ‘Congratulations.’” The simple text follows Daisy and her family as they celebrate and then say a tearful good-bye to Sister. The last page shows the whole family looking at the wedding photos. As in other books by these collaborators, such as When I Am Old With You (1990), One of Three (1991), and Tell Me a Story, Mama (1989, all Orchard), the illustrations portray a warm, loving African-American family. The distinguished collage artwork conveys the action and the whole range of emotions that the day entails. Both text and illustrations work together to create a seamless experience that is happy, sad, and tender all at once. A perfect book for preparing for that special day.”

– School Library Journal

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Here Comes Our Bride! An African Wedding Story (Frances Lincoln), by Ifeoma Onyefulu.

The Buzz on Here Comes Our Bride:

“Far from the reverential, there is a lively mix of the traditional and the contemporary in this photo-essay about a wedding in Benin, Nigeria. Osaere is a doctor; Efosa is an architect. As Onyefulu points out in her introduction, the wedding is a family affair, and the close-up, full-color photos show the formal visits, when the relatives bring all kinds of gifts, including jewelry and foods (kola nuts stand for peace and harmony; schnapps is for the ancestors). After the formality, there is lots of teasing to cement the friendship. Then an old man talks to the ancestors, and Osaere and Efosa are married in traditional robes. Much later, there’s a church wedding (he’s in a tux; she wears a wedding gown), with even more guests, foods, and gifts. A young boy narrates the story, and kids will enjoy learning about the Nigerian ritual while they recognize the universal excitement of wedding pageantry and bonding.”

– Booklist

If enough folk turn their backs on Black History Month because they’re sick of it being the “only” time anyone pays attention to anything African-American related, will it actually make people pay more attention to us the other 11 months of the year?

Answer: NO

Fact:
The contributions African Americans continue to make to society-at-large are significant enough that they should be well-documented and covered in classrooms, on television, in books and anywhere else anytime.

Fact:
There are still hurdles to climb, for recognition,  in every single one of those arenas.

Let’s not pummel the one vehicle that may actually bring new folks to everyone’s attention.

I don’t get knocking BHM-related activities. It’s not like anyone is mandated to do anything to actually recognize Black History Month. Take a poll, we’ll probably find most don’t.

BHM gets more recognition for its controversy and the dickering over whether it should exist at all than for its purpose: an attempt to remedy the significant lack of consistent coverage of African Americans, in a positive light, among mainstream outlets.

On a good day, we’re barely recognized outside of the flavor of the month. In the absence of Oprah, I guess it’s Tyler Perry. And that’s among the mainstream outlets that recognize us at all.

Even the publications designed specially for African American accolades seem to cover the same people over and over.

Check out how often Mary J. Blige has appeared on the cover of Essence magazine as if she’s literally the ONLY female Black singer in the world.

If someone can tell me how we cure our own outlets from ignoring all but the already-popular and over-covered – we can begin working on the mainstream, together.

Black History Month isn’t a cure for our lack of mainstream recognition, it’s a simple way to remind all of us that there are more than three of us who have actually made a contribution.

So let me get on to the real beef here – low-grade grumbling that our 28 Days Later campaign is during Black History Month.

The Brown Bookshelf launched its annual campaign during Black History Month because we assumed (and rightly so, I still believe) we’d get the most bang for our buck among our key audience – librarians, teachers and parents – as they were actively seeking good books about and by authors of color.

Even among the well-intentioned, the same Black authors or at least the same type of books get pulled out and displayed in bookstores and libraries in February. Enough already – there’s a lot more to choose from. Enter The Brown Bookshelf.

We chose the month where the rest of the world, out of obligation or actual interest, turns their attention to African Americans.

Some believe if you build it they will come – no matter where you build it. Well some of us believe that it’s better to build your lemonade stand on the main thoroughfare rather than hope someone will find you out in the boondocks.

Black History Month is a main thoroughfare, whether we like it or not. Utilizing it as a springboard for attention doesn’t mean you support ignoring the rest of the year. It means you’re smart enough to get in where you fit in.

Certainly, turning your back on it doesn’t help things much.

The joy it brings to provide authors and illustrators a little recognition outweighs most else. But it bugs me that said recognition could be taken negatively simply because it’s in February. Must we constantly shoot ourselves in the foot over things?

Race-based recognition is often put under the microscope as if it’s the problem and not a solution to fill obvious voids. It’s not a perfect solution. And I’ll be the first to back flip the day our books are equally as best selling and in equal contention for mainstream honors.

When that day comes, sites like BBS will have outlived their usefulness. We’re waiting as anxiously as everyone else.