Growing up, Tonya Bolden thought one day she would be a teacher. Today, as an award-winning author of more than 20 books for young people and adults, she is just that. Her classroom has no walls. Instead, you just need to pick up one her acclaimed books on topics such as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., George [ Read the full article… ]
We hope you’ve enjoyed our book club selections, so far. I trust you don’t need a pandemic to force reading, but with a semi-quarantine situation in effect for most of our country, our book selections are a great opportunity to find a book for any member of the family. This week’s theme is Heritage and [ Read the full article… ]
We’re thrilled to introduce The Brown Bookshelf’s latest project, Generations Book Club. A summer initiative designed to inspire and empower readers of all ages, we’re excited to kick it off on June 1. Aligned with our group’s mission to raise awareness of books by Black creators, Generations also resolves to boost sales, help families nurture [ Read the full article… ]
Thank you to everyone who attended Stop and Think: The Brown Bookshelf Examines Representation in Children Literature. Your support meant so much. Our mission is to center and celebrate Black children’s book creators. Here are resources from our NCTE program: Book evaluation questions: In what ways does Black joy shine in the story and art? [ Read the full article… ]
Last I looked, BBS Don Tate was one busy author/illustrator. Blink and you’ll miss his latest, No Small Potatoes: Junius G. Groves and His Kingdom in Kansas, a wonderful tale about hard work paying off with author, Tonya Bolden. The Buzz on No Small Potatoes “The mixed-media illustrations, awash in blues, greens, and browns, successfully [ Read the full article… ]
“As we struggle to bridge the chasm and search for common ground, we must remember our strength, show our resilience and think of the children.” Those were the words of the Brown Bookshelf’s Declaration in Support of Children in November of 2016, and we reaffirm that commitment. In the wake of continued violence, bigotry, and [ Read the full article… ]
Twenty-five years ago, Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati created the African American Children’s Book Fair in Philadelphia to spread the joy of reading and get books by black children’s book creators into kids’ hands. At that first event on a frosty day, 250 people attended. Today, more than 3,000 line up to buy books and meet black authors and [ Read the full article… ]
Children’s literature may be the most influential literary genre of all. Picture books, chapter books, middle-grade and young-adult novels all serve the most noble of purposes: to satisfy the need for information, to entertain curious imaginations, to encourage critical thinking skills, to move and inspire. Within their pages, seeds of wisdom and possibility are sown. [ Read the full article… ]
