Author: Kelly Starling Lyons

Chances are you’ve heard of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King and ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.  They’re wonderful stories that have been shared for generations. But what if you’re looking for a tale that celebrates the season and African-American culture? Here are 10 picture books to consider adding to your holiday book list that salute Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year’s [ Read the full article… ]

The Brown Bookshelf’s own Paula Chase-Hyman is featured in Amy Bowllan’s wonderful Writers Against Racism series. Read her interview here. Here’s a peek: “I’ve always lived in color. So, I tend to create worlds that mirror the one I was brought up in. Those worlds aren’t devoid of racism or ignorance, by any means, but [ Read the full article… ]

When you think about Mount Everest, what do you see? Some may envision the splendor of the world’s highest mountain. Others may picture climbers or snow-capped peaks. Christine Taylor-Butler gives us a new and important view. Her acclaimed book, Sacred Mountain: Everest (Lee & Low, 2009), puts the Sherpa — unsung heroes of the majestic mountain — center stage. Author of more than [ Read the full article… ]

Series like NEATE and Kid Caramel published by Just Us Books and Hyperion’s Willimena Rules! by Valerie Wilson Wesley helped open the door for more chapter book diversity. Today, more publishers are responding to the need. The offerings include series created by celebrities — Whoopi Goldberg’s Sugarplum Ballerinas and Amy Hodgepodge by Kim Wayans & Kevin Knotts — and [ Read the full article… ]

Here’s my sure-fire way to test if a new picture book sings. I read it to my daughter. She’s a tell-it-like-it-is sort of girl. If it’s boring, she’ll let me know flat out before moving on to other things. When Olu’s Dream (HarperCollins, 2009) arrived, she excitedly checked out the cover. She flipped through the pages. “Can [ Read the full article… ]

Sharon G. Flake tweeted that people should run out and get Black Angels (Putnam Juvenile, 2009) when it debuts. She said: “U won’t want 2 put it down.” Sheila P. Moses said: “This novel and the character Luke will move readers like Huckleberry Finn moved us on the Mississippi River 100 years ago.” Nikki Giovanni described it this way: [ Read the full article… ]

Charisse Carney-Nunes wanted her daughter to see the strength and heritage of her hair. So she wrote a poem of celebration called “Nappy.” She included that poem in her first book, Songs of a Sistermom (Brand Nu Words, 2004). But she had no idea that it would begin her journey as a children’s book author too. Then she read [ Read the full article… ]

This month, New York Times best-selling author Carole Boston Weatherford launched a blog tour for her award-winning book, Becoming Billie Holiday (Wordsong, 2008). In her fictional verse memoir, beautifully illustrated in sepia tones by Floyd Cooper, Weatherford traces the transformation of Eleanora Fagan from Baltimore child into Harlem crooner Billie Holiday. Weatherford, a Baltimore native, [ Read the full article… ]