If you’ve followed The Brown Bookshelf for any time at all, you know a few things about the collective:

One, we’re all children’s lit creatives ourselves.

Two, amplifying Black children’s literature falls somewhere between a calling and an obsession.

Three, it can be difficult to find individuals who would like to add yet another To-Do to their long list of authorial responsibilities.

When we find someone? Well, let’s just say there’s a bit of hootin’, hollerin’ and celebrating. Let all three commence, because we’re excited to…

Welcome author Nikki Shannon Smith to The Brown Bookshelf collective

 

Nikki joins us as we enter the 20th cycle of our 28 Days Later initiative. And, because there’s never enough good news, today is the book birthday of her latest title PRINCE: A Little Golden Book Biography (Random House Children’s Books), illustrated by Brown Bookshelf member, Don Tate.

No stranger to the kidlitosphere or to The Brown Bookshelf, Nikki was a member of the Amplify Black Stories cohort, a 2021 partnership between The Highlights Foundation and The Brown Bookshelf. The Amplify program was a year-long fellowship with a focus on supporting Black storytellers while confronting industry challenges and fostering change.  The cohort continues to work together to further the Amplified mission.

About Nikki

Nikki is an educator, presenter, and the award-winning author of nearly 30 published and forthcoming books, ranging from board books to young adult novels. Her writing is informed not only by her research, but by her childlike curiosity, a love of words, and thirty years of elementary school teaching. She is from Oakland, California and is represented by Jennifer March Soloway at Starling Literary + Media.

Nikki’s Work

• STRANDED (Scholastic), a middle grade novel, is a nominee for both the 2026 Georgia Children’s Book Award and the Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award.

 

• BROWN BABY PARADE board book series

 

 

 

 

• LENA AND THE BURNING OF GREENWOOD, a Girls Survive title, was the recipient of the 2023 Oklahoma Book Award in the Young Adult Category

 

• The AZALEAH LANE chapter book series

 

Coming Soon:  DEEP SECRETS: A TITANIC NOVEL and middle grade historical (April 2026)

 

Nikki’s contributions to literature are a gift. Her work to amplify others is necessary ammunition in our continued battle to ensure Black voices are seen, heard and celebrated. One of the best ways to welcome Nikki and show her some love, order Prince today from Avid Reader Bookstore.