28 Days Year: 2009

In 1999, author, entertainer, and “Fashionista” Deborah Gregory took the ‘tween literary world by storm with her hugely popular series, The Cheetah Girls. The series — a positive, upbeat portrayal of a multi-ethnic girl music group — has spawned sixteen books written by Gregory, three movies, and countless other movie-related books and merchandise. Gregory equates [ Read the full article… ]

Within the world of children’s publishing, Andrea Pinkney has become an icon. Her career spans more than twenty years, and during that time she’s juggled many hats. As Vice President, Executive Editor for Scholastic Trade, Andrea has acquired and edited many titles, including the Newbery Honor Book Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis; The [ Read the full article… ]

Three-Time National Book Award Finalist. Two-Time Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Winner. Former Poet Laureate of the State of Connecticut. Those are just a handful of the ways to describe Marilyn Nelson. Nelson is the author or translator of twelve books and three chapbooks. Her first book for young people, Carver: A Life In Poems (Front [ Read the full article… ]

Every now and then, a new artist sneaks onto the children’s literary stage and dazzles us with such unbridled talent, that we’re left standing on our tippy-toes begging for an encore. Last year, one of those artists was London Ladd. Ladd made his debut illustrating the book March On!, written by the sister of Dr. [ Read the full article… ]

As a child, Vaunda Micheaux Nelson was captivated by the stories her mother read at bedtime. She soaked in the poems her father recited.  Those early  experiences gave her a deep appreciation for the power of literature and language. Today, part of Nelson’s mission is to share that gift with others: “I hope to give children some of what my parents gave me [ Read the full article… ]

When she was starting out, Joyce Hansen struggled to become a published author. Like many new writers, she received rejection letter after rejection letter. But Hansen found story gold when she drew from the richness of her Bronx childhood and the young people she taught. Those memories and observations inspired her first novel, The Gift-Giver, which began a distinguished children’s [ Read the full article… ]

When we set out to define our mission for the 28 Days Later campaign, our vision was crystal clear: To highlight African-American (Black) youth literature creators. Children’s books written by or about African-Americans make up a small percentage of the publishing pie, and those works often flow under the radar of teachers and librarians. Our [ Read the full article… ]

I’d planned to begin this post by stating the number of books written by author/storyteller/lecturer/biographer Virginia Hamilton. But I couldn’t find a definitive answer. One source credited the author with writing 30 books. Another, 35. Yet another, 40. So let me begin by stating that Virginia Hamilton has authored a whole lot of books! A [ Read the full article… ]