Author: thebrownbookshelf

There is something extremely satisfying about being present at the start of a good thing. The beginning of Lamar Giles‘ career as a critically-acclaimed YA author was that good thing, and we at the The Brown Bookshelf are happy to have been there to celebrate it. Since our original feature on Giles and his first traditionally published YA [ Read the full article… ]

For our last Throwback Thursday post of 2016, I’m honored to shine the spotlight on children’s book pioneer Cheryl Willis Hudson once again. The Brown Bookshelf is honored to present Cheryl Willis Hudson to our readers. Not only is she an author, she is also a executive in a publishing company she built with her husband. [ Read the full article… ]

We’ve highlighted many illustrators during our 28 Days Later campaign, and Shadra Strickland‘s interview has always been a personal favorite. Since our interview in  2009, Ms. Strickland went on to illustrate many more books, including White Water (Candlewick Press, 2011); Please, Louise (Simon & Schuster, 2014); and Sunday Shopping (Lee & Low Books, 2014). A forthcoming book, Loving [ Read the full article… ]

Fortunately, we receive books! The following are upcoming or recently published books written by African American authors, or authors of any background, but feature diverse main characters. If Kids Ran the World by Leo & Diane Dillon Scholastic, Blue Sky Press, 2014 From the publisher: Two-time Caldecott Medalists Leo and Diane Dillon show children playfully creating [ Read the full article… ]

  Walter Dean Myers, in his own words and what he hoped his legacy would be. “I hope that my legacy is that I was useful for young people…” “…I want to make people of color human beings, and I want to make poor people human beings. I want to include them in my books [ Read the full article… ]

Earlier this year at a reading conference, I signed my picture book, The Cart That Carried Martin, written by Eve Bunting. The book was published by Charlesbridge Publishing. Before my signing, I nervously wandered around the Charlesbridge booth. Signings can be a scary thing, especially as a book creator of color, in an exhibit hall filled [ Read the full article… ]

  For our series, MAKING OUR OWN MARKET, Kirsten Cappy of Curious City, a book consulting company, tackles the subject of marketing books created by or about African Americans.    Taking Book Marketing Off the Page, Out of the Park by Kirsten Cappy of Curious City For me, children’s book marketing on the Brown Bookshelf or off has [ Read the full article… ]

Why I chose Kickstarter to fund my Children’s Picture Book by JQ Sirls There are many reasons why I decided to go in the route of Kickstarter, all of which stem from a common idea about people in my generation (millennials). People of my parent’s generation often claim that we are lazy, entitled, ungrateful, selfish, the [ Read the full article… ]