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… ]
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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… ]
Where Do We Go From Here? Continuing the Conversation
Here at the Brown Bookshelf, we’ve spoken often and long on the issues and ideas expressed in the Open Declaration. We do this work to lift up our young readers and show them how they can survive, thrive, and soar in this world. For many of us, the way forward might be clear, for others, [ Read the full article… ]
Carla Sarratt: Looking Back, Looking Forward
In honor of our 10th anniversary, we are proud to share this reflection by Carla Sarratt, one of our founding members. Carla, an invaluable member of our team, worked diligently to help The Brown Bookshelf connect with teachers, librarians and kids. Today, she has a special view of two sides of the publishing world – children’s book creator and [ Read the full article… ]
Throwback: London Ladd
We last highlighted London Ladd during our 2009 28 Days Later campaign. Since that time, Ladd went on to illustrate many more award-winning picture books including Under the Freedom Tree, written by Susan VanHecke, Lend a Hand: Poems About Giving, written by John Frank, and Frederick’s Journey: The Life of Frederick Douglass, written by Doreen Rappaport. [ Read the full article… ]
THROWBACK THURSDAY – SUNDEE FRAZIER
There is a Maya Angelo quote on Sundee Frazier’s website. It reads “You cannot use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” This is the perfect quote for Sundee. Since her first spotlight on The Brown Bookshelf’s 28 Days later program back in 2008, she has published three more wonderful books: THE [ Read the full article… ]