Author: Don Tate

When author/illustrator Don Tate invited me to write a blogpost about Malaika’s Costume, I thought.  Of course.  Why not?  Why don’t I take this opportunity to ask all of the questions, the sorts of questions I get asked all the time, the sorts of questions I wished I was asked about this book?  Ladies and gentleman.  [ Read the full article… ]

In 2015,  I logged a lot of miles on the exhibit floors of children’s book conferences—ALA, BEA, TLA, NCTE, NCSS, many more, acronyms abound. As I walked, my eyes stayed peeled for treasures that featured Black characters, books that reflect my African American experience, history, culture, or any book on any topic written and/or illustrated by a Black creator. [ Read the full article… ]

By Kirsten Cappy, Curious City Yes, #WeNeedDiverseBooks and #BlackLivesMatter. These hashtags and sentiments are integrated into my many literacy projects and into our ongoing commentary on this troubled nation. Yet, the more I hashtag, the more I wonder if the book industry’s endearing and infuriatingly slow pace can create a place where black lives matter [ Read the full article… ]

Guest post by Irene Smalls This Black History Month, let’s support reading achievement, fitness and health. Background: According to the CDC, during the years between 2007 and 2010, 51% of Black and 41% of Hispanic children were informed by doctors that they were overweight. The State of Obesity Report 9/14, shows that of children ages 6-11, 23.8% [ Read the full article… ]

We Need Diverse Books™ (WNDB)  is a grassroots organization created to address the lack of diverse, non-majority narratives in children’s literature. They are committed to the ideal that embracing diversity will lead to acceptance, empathy, and ultimately equality. Being that WNDB shares many of the goals we’ve set here at the Brown Bookshelf, I want to encourage you [ Read the full article… ]

Guest post for the Brown Bookshelf by syndicated cartoonist, author and illustrator, Jerry Craft I published my first book back in 1997. Since then I have written and / or illustrated more than a dozen others. I think the reason why I’ve dedicated my life to get kids to read is because I went through most of my [ Read the full article… ]

For a few years now, The Brown Bookshelf  has talked about the need for more diversity in children’s and YA books. Our focus here has been books by and/or about African Americans. Our voices are strongest during the month of February, when we host our 28 Days Later campaign. Thankfully within recent months — and [ Read the full article… ]

Today, we are proud to announce the honorees for our seventh annual 28 Days Later campaign, a Black History Month celebration of emerging and established children’s book creators of color. As is tradition, a stand-out author or illustrator will be saluted each day during February.  The month-long submissions window for our campaign opened in October. [ Read the full article… ]