Dia Reeves has only been on the literary scene for a little over a year, but she’s already a veteran author. Dia’s first novel, Bleeding Violet (Simon Pulse, 2010), received praise from all corners of the YA universe, with Booklist praising biracial main character, Hanna, for her “poignant, memorable voice.” In starred review, The Bulletin [ Read the full article… ]
28 Days
Day 22: Sharon Dennis Wyeth
I was in my 20s when I received a book that would change my life — Something Beautiful by Sharon Dennis Wyeth. That was my first time seeing an African-American girl on the cover of a picture book. Entranced, I read page after page until I reached the end. Then, I smiled, stroked the cover and read it again. [ Read the full article… ]
Day 20: Frank Morrison
Frank Morrison is an award-winning children’s book illustrator and fine artist. A few of his picture books include Sweet Music in Harlem (Lee & Low Books, 2004); Jazzy Miz Mozetta, (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004); My Feet Are Laughing, (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006); and more recently Quacky Baseball, (HarperCollins, 2011). He’s also the illustrator [ Read the full article… ]
Day 19: Rachel Renee Russell
Rachel Renee Russell grew up in Saint Joseph, Michigan, a small city located on the shore of Lake Michigan. She has 2 younger sisters and 2 younger twin brothers. She wrote and illustrated her first book in 6th grade as a birthday present for my brothers. Her New York Times bestselling series, beginning with DORK [ Read the full article… ]
Day 18: Vanguard PB Author, Joyce Carol Thomas
Writing a book: tough. Getting one traditionally published: even tougher. Any writer who has penned a work that’s commanded the attention of an editor, and inspired a publisher to commit tremendous resources to bring it to market, he or she has earned the honor and respect that such an accomplishment deserves. But there are books…and then [ Read the full article… ]
Day 17: E.B. Lewis
E.B. Lewis is the award-winning illustrator of more than fifty books for children, a few of which include Virgie Goes to School with Us Boys, (Simon & Schuster, 1999); Talkin’ about Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman, (Orchard, 2002); Coming on Home Soon, (Putnam, 2004); The Negro Speaks of Rivers, (Hyperion, 2009). In 2003, [ Read the full article… ]
Day 16: Kevin Lewis
Parents know the name Kevin Lewis and storytime go together. His debut picture book, Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo (Hyperion), has 121 — that’s not a typo –five-star reviews on Amazon.com. Reading just a few you feel the special connection people have with his story: “This was my son’s favorite book, and one that I never tire of reading.” “My [ Read the full article… ]
Day 15: Lynn Joseph
Lynn Joseph was born in Trinidad and was raised in a family of three children by a mother who loved books, and who read Shakespeare to her and her sister Christine, as bedtime stories. Lynn, like most writers, loved to read and she remembers her very first book, a collection of Grimm Fairy Tales with [ Read the full article… ]