A Man for All Seasons: The Life of George Washington Carver by Stephen Krensky Illustrated by Wil Clay Published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers How does a pumpkin seed become a pumpkin? Why do some plants require more sunlight than others? Even as a young child, George Washington Carver’s mind was consumed with [ Read the full article… ]

The Freedom Business Including A Narrative of the Life of Venture, a Narrative of Africa Poems by Marilyn Nelson Art by Deborah Dancy Published by Wordsong Poetry Ages: 11–14 Grades: 6–9 Pages: 72 Broteer Furro was born the son of royalty. His father was the Prince of the Tribe of Dukandarra, in Africa. At the [ Read the full article… ]

Dr. Jonda McNair, assistant professor of reading education at Clemson University,  is the creator of an innovative program that celebrates African-American children’s literature. Her family literacy project, I Never Knew There Were So Many Books About Us: Parents and Children Reading African-American Children’s Literature Together, used monthly workshops to model for parents engaging read-aloud techniques and teach children ways to respond to books [ Read the full article… ]

Becoming Billie Holiday By Carole Boston Weatherford Art by Floyd Cooper Published by Wordsong Poetry, (An imprint of Boyd Mills Press) From the jacketflap: “In Philadelphia, on April 7, 1915, Sadie Fagan gave birth to a daughter. She named her Eleanora. The world, however, would know her as Billie Holiday, possibly the greatest jazz singer [ Read the full article… ]

Two decades ago, Wade and Cheryl Hudson searched for quality African-American children’s books to share with their kids. Frustrated by the lack of options, they made a bold decision: They would fill the gap themselves. Their simple desire to give their children books that reflected their images and voices launched a 20-year legacy. Founded on the principle [ Read the full article… ]

Seven Miles to Freedom: The Robert Smalls Story Written by Janet Halfmann Illustrated by Duane Smith Published by Lee & Low Books, 2008 After I read Seven Miles to Freedom: The Robert Smalls Story (Lee & Low Books, 2008), I knew I wanted to talk it up here at the Brown Bookshelf. But then I [ Read the full article… ]

A few years ago, the lingo “indie bookstore” would have gone right over my head. As an avid reader, all I knew was I liked books and I’d get them anywhere I could – my local library or the nearest bookstore. But as an author, I realized that the business of writing was much more [ Read the full article… ]