We are proud to support Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom Schools as they commemorate the 60th anniversary of Freedom Summer of 1964. To mark that milestone, they are recruiting 60 traditionally published children’s book creators to read at Freedom Schools around the country on the morning of Wednesday, July 17. Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati of the African [ Read the full article… ]
Author: Kelly Starling Lyons
Generations Book Club: LGBTQIA Pride
June is full of celebrations: Father’s Day, Juneteenth and Black Music Month to name a few. But a beautiful one that needs more support is LGBTQIA Pride. There are so many amazing Black authors whose work deserves to be in schools, libraries and homes around the nation. Banning. Discrediting their work. Quietly pulling their books [ Read the full article… ]
Announcing the 17th Class of 28 Days Later Honorees
Happy 2024, Friends! We were on hiatus most of last year. Happy to be back celebrating outstanding Black children’s book creators. This time, we’re doing something new. We’re collaborating with our Amplify Black Stories fellows to salute their work and give you an update on the members of The Brown Bookshelf team. Not familiar with Amplify [ Read the full article… ]
The Season of Black Boy Books – Best of 2022
Looking for outstanding children’s books featuring Black boys? Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati has you covered. Check out her guest post and list. From board books to young adult novels, she gives us wonderful titles by Black authors to read and share. By Vanesse J. Lloyd-Sgambati, Founder of The African American Children’s Project In 2022, books [ Read the full article… ]
Why Juneteenth Matters
Last year, our friend Torrey Maldonado came up with a great idea – helping kids understand what Juneteenth means by sharing the reflections of Black children’s book creators. We’re thrilled that he’s back showcasing even more voices. The first federal holiday created since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery. [ Read the full article… ]
Congratulations to the 15th Class of 28 Days Later Honorees!
It’s our favorite time of year! We are proud to announce the honorees of our 15th annual 28 Days Later campaign, a Black History Month celebration of outstanding Black children’s book creators. Each day during February, we will showcase an author or illustrator whose work reflects parts of who we are. It’s more important than [ Read the full article… ]
The African American Children’s Book Project’s Best Picture Books of 2021
Looking for outstanding picture books by Black creators? Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati, founder of the African American Children’s Book Project, shared her best picture books of 2021. All are available for purchase at her Bookshop site, The Literary Cafe. Save the date for the 30th Annual African American Children’s Book Fair – Saturday, February 5 from 10 [ Read the full article… ]
Roundtable Resource List
Resource List The Brown Bookshelf is designed to raise awareness of the many Black voices writing for young readers. Our signature campaign is 28 Days Later, a Black History Month celebration of outstanding Black creators. Just Us Books (read our Q&A with founders Cheryl and Wade Hudson here, and watch Just [ Read the full article… ]