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Day 28: Higgins Bond

Higgins Bond is a trailblazer. She has been a freelance illustrator and fine artist for almost forty years. She has received many awards, including a medal of honor from Governor Bill Clinton, the Ashley Bryan Award for outstanding contributions to children’s literature. She has exhibited her work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York [ Read the full article… ]

Day 27: S.A.M. POSEY

Since writing can be compared to a recipe, clearly debut author S.A.M. Posey has something cooking.  She mixed three cups of teenage characters, one cup of terrorist, seasoned her pages perfectly with African American history, and added just enough trouble to bake us one of the best drama cakes ever, The Last Station Master. Raised [ Read the full article… ]

Day 26: Kadir Nelson

Kadir Nelson is an award-winning American artist whose works have been exhibited in major national and international publications, institutions, art galleries, and museums. Born in Washington, D.C., Nelson earned a Bachelor’s degree from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. Nelson illustrated several New York Times best-selling picture books and his authorial debut, WE ARE THE [ Read the full article… ]

Day 25:Celeste O. Norfleet

Best-selling author, Celeste O. Norfleet may write about teen girls who are “fish out of water”, but she is certainly not one when it comes to writing for teens. Her novels have earned numerous awards and nominations including YALSA Quick Pics for the Reluctant Reader. Celeste lives in Virginia with her husband and two teenagers. [ Read the full article… ]

Day 24: Trish Cooke

Award-winning author Trish Cooke’s charming picture books SO MUCH and FULL, FULL, FULL OF LOVE are the kind of stories that have you smiling all the way through. Parents love to share them. Kids plead to hear them over and over until they know every word. Cooke lives in Britain, but her books have touched people around the world. [ Read the full article… ]

Day 22: Amar’e Stoudemire

Amar’e Stoudemire. New York Knicks Power Forward. Six-time NBA All-Star. Author. That’s right—in 2012, the NBA superstar Amar’e Stoudmire teamed with Scholastic Press to launch the STAT (Standing Tall and Talented), a chapter book series based on Stoudemire’s life. In STAT: Standing Tall and Talented #1: Home Court, we’re introduced to eleven-year-old Stoudemire as he [ Read the full article… ]

Day 21: Dr. Gwendolyn Battle Lavert

A veteran educator, Dr. Gwendolyn Battle Lavert has made a lasting impact as a children’s book author. Her lyrical picture books, full of warmth and strength, celebrate African American life and culture. From a father who learns to write his name with his son’s help in Papa’s Mark to a boy whose uncle teaches him to play harmonica in [ Read the full article… ]