Over the years, we’ve been blessed to have many supporters. Wade Hudson, Cheryl Willis Hudson and the Just Us Books family are among those who have been in our corner the longest. Trailblazing publishers and award-winning children’s book creators, the Hudsons are all about sharing, empowering and offering support. Their example has been a beacon [ Read the full article… ]
28 Days
Day 28: Varian Johnson
Co-founder of The Brown Bookshelf with Paula Chase, Varian Johnson helped create something amazing. Tired of hearing that people couldn’t find books by Black children’s book creators, he and Paula formed a team that would shine a light on the incredible Black authors and illustrators creating great reads for babies to teens every day. What [ Read the full article… ]
Day 27: Paula Chase
Paula Chase and Varian Johnson co-founded The Brown Bookshelf. They’re the reason why we’re here. They invited us to join them in the mission to raise awareness of under-the-radar Black authors and illustrators and salute veteran ones. Look at what they created. We’ve been doing this for 17 years. Paula is brilliant, hard-working and giving. [ Read the full article… ]
Day 26: Don Tate
Don Tate is an acclaimed author and the illustrator of numerous books for children. He is the illustrator of the Roto and Roy series (Little Brown, 2022, 2023), Swish! The Slam-Dunking, Alley-Ooping, High-Flying Harlem Globetrotters (Little Brown, 2020), and Carter Reads the Newspaper (Peachtree, 2021). He is the author of Jerry Changed the Game! How [ Read the full article… ]
Day 25: Crystal Allen
The Brown Bookshelf is a family of creatives, genuinely focused on knowing other creatives of color, and making their works known. Being a committee member has strengthened my commitment to our community. It has helped me form strong relationships with other writers, illustrators, editors, and organizations that I may not have been a part of [ Read the full article… ]
Day 24: Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich is the NAACP Image Award-nominated author of several books, including: OPERATION SISTERHOOD, an IndieNext List Top Ten Pick and Black Caucus of the American Library Association Best of the Best Selection; MAKEDA MAKES A BIRTHDAY TREAT, a Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book; IT DOESN’T TAKE A GENIUS, a Kirkus Reviews [ Read the full article… ]
Day 23: Tameka Fryer Brown
Tameka Fryer Brown writes to sow seeds of self-love, pride, connectivity, and inclusion in the hearts of children. Her picture books have won awards like the Jane Addams Children’s Book Honor Award, the Charlotte Huck Honor Award, and the Charlotte Zolotow Honor Award. They’ve also been recognized on Best Book lists by the Cooperative Children’s [ Read the full article… ]
Day 22: Kelly Starling Lyons
It feels surreal to have a day during 28 Days Later. My focus as part of The Brown Bookshelf is to uplift Black children’s book creators who fall under the radar, who have paved the way, who are making a difference. I’m blessed to call many of them friends. I stand on the shoulders of [ Read the full article… ]