Doreen Spicer-Dannelly may be a new name in children’s literature, but for a long time she has created wonderful programs for kids. The Proud Family. Her. Jump In! Her again. The Wannabes. You got it. It’s exciting that she’s now a middle-grade author. Her debut, Love Double Dutch, is a fast-paced story of sisterhood, collaboration [ Read the full article… ]
28 Days
Day 7: Sandra Uwiringiyimana
Sandra Uwiringiyimana’s stunning YA debut HOW DARE THE SUN RISE begins with a massacre in a Burundi refugee camp where she lost her sister. It goes on to detail not only the horrors of her experience as a refugee, but more importantly, the beauty and joy that she has grown up with. This #ownvoices story [ Read the full article… ]
Day 6: Baptiste Paul
Today we honor new author Baptiste Paul and his forthcoming picture book, The Field, illustrated by Jacqueline Alcántara, to be released by NorthSouth Books/S&S on March 6, 2018. In his debut title, Paul pays homage to his childhood home (the beautiful island of St. Lucia), his native language (Creole), and the internationally-beloved game of soccer. [ Read the full article… ]
Day 5: Ray Anthony Shepard
Ray Anthony Shepard’s Now or Never-Fifty-Fourth Massachsetts Infantry’s War to End Slavery has earned two starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal. His meticulously researched book is riveting and lands you squarely on the battlefield. The Journey I was born in Missouri, a state that benchmarked the path to Civil War, in [ Read the full article… ]
Day 4: Katura J. Hudson
There’s something special about celebrating family. And that’s what you become when you publish with Just Us Books. Katura J. Hudson is the director of marketing for the company her parents founded three decades ago. She has lovingly edited and promoted countless titles by Black children’s book creators including mine. It’s a joy to honor [ Read the full article… ]
Day 3: Nic Stone
As I rejoin my Brown Bookshelf colleagues in the trenches of 28 Days Later, I’m elated with today’s YA authors. They’re vocal in a new way and their books reflect a time period where young people are witness to divisive political rhetoric that has remained at its height since President Obama took office a life [ Read the full article… ]
Day 2: Kacen Callender
As a Trinidadian-American writer, it’s particularly thrilling to see children’s books set in the Caribbean. The moment I saw the cover for HURRICANE CHILD, I was excited. Then the starred reviews started coming in. Kirkus wrote, “Callender draws readers in and makes them identify with Caroline’s angst and sorrow and joy and pain,” and School [ Read the full article… ]
Day 1: Useni Eugene Perkins
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… ]