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… ]
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Throwback Thursday: Alice Randall and Caroline Williams
We first featured Alice Randall and Caroline Williams in 2013, after the publication of the joint debut middle grade novel, The Diary of B.B. Bright, Possible Princess, with illustrations by Shadra Strickland. Kirkus offered high praise: “Sweet, sassy and mystical, this novel deftly melds an old-fashioned story of princess preparation with the modern twist of [ Read the full article… ]
Bringing Books Back Home, Part Two: More with Elaine Dickson of Reading Owls International
If you haven’t already, be sure to check out Part One of my conversation with Elaine Dickson of Reading Owls International. Here, she tells us more about the work and future of the organization and its impact. Where/when have you seen the impact of your work? Part of our strategy for “creating readers for life” [ Read the full article… ]
Bringing Books Back Home: A Chat with Elaine Dickson of Reading Owls International
I was e-introduced to Elaine Dickson through a friend who is one of those people who know, you know what I mean? If Shelly Ann refers someone, you *know* they’re good people. So I was ready to be blown away, and I was not disappointed! Ms. Dickson and her husband founded Reading Owls International, a [ Read the full article… ]
Throwback Thursday: Elizabeth Zunon
In 2012, we featured artist Elizabeth Zunon and her acclaimed second picture book, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer. A Junior Library selection, that title won accolades and raves about her style. Since then, Liz has created many treasures including Don’t Call Me Grandma by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and The Legendary Miss Lena Horne [ Read the full article… ]
25th African American Children’s Book Fair
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… ]
A Gift From Greensboro
It’s always nice to have a personal connection with the authors and illustrators we feature on The Brown Bookshelf. As much as we admire them, it reminds our readers and the BBS’s bloggers that they could be living on the next block or the person in front of us in the grocery self-service line. I [ Read the full article… ]
Throwback Thursday: Gwendolyn Hooks
I’d like to start by saying that when I first saw this photo of Gwendolyn Hooks, I thought that she looked like the nicest person in the world. And now that I am the “newby” on The Brown Bookshelf team, and am ALWAYS in need of someone to show me the ropes, I can personally [ Read the full article… ]