Recently I picked up a copy of Hill Harper’s Letters to a Young Brother. I purchased it only because my wife chased me through the book store, repeating, like a broken record, “But I think you’ll like this book. But I think you’ll like this book. But I think…” I didn’t want a celebrity book. [ Read the full article… ]
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Can you hear us now? We sure can!
To everyone out there that send an email or nominated an author or just posted a comment — THANK YOU! Quite frankly, we’ve gotten more suggestions than I ever imagined we’d get. And what a great mix is it — pbs and middle grade, YA and chapter books, historical fiction and sci-fi, serious books and [ Read the full article… ]
Through A Child’s Eyes
When my daughter was born, I experienced my greatest blessing. I received another gift as I started reading to her. Through her eyes, I got a chance to relive the wonder of discovering toes, the many hues of skin, the magic of music. As we listened to the cadence of words and soaked in the sweetness of pictures created [ Read the full article… ]
A Measure of Success
There are two measures of success. You know you’ve made it when Saturday Night Live parodies you in a skit or when dissenting opinions go out over the blogosphere. The Brown Bookshelf has “arrived”! No, neither Beyonce or Justin Timberlake has sang a hilarious ode to our venture, but there has been quite a bit of [ Read the full article… ]
Booked for the Holidays
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Around us we see decorations, holiday sales, and traditional holiday food and drink like egg nog and candy canes. Turn on the radio and you can hear Donny Hathaway croon “This Christmas” as well as Michael Jackson and his brothers let us know that “Santa Claus is [ Read the full article… ]
Giving Thanks
I struggled with what to share today. I have so much to be thankful for. Thanksgiving has always held a special place in my heart. It’s a time for celebrating family and community, breaking bread, counting blessings and giving praise. Where would I start? But then I thought about why I write for children, how books make [ Read the full article… ]
My thoughts about our name, The Brown Bookshelf
“In Which She Espouses Dissenting Opinions,” a post at Finding Wonderland: The Writing YA Weblog, they supported our efforts here at the Brown Bookshelf, and I thank them for that. They also had some concerns about our name. I’d like to express my thoughts. 9 times out of 10, when I type the name ‘The [ Read the full article… ]
Milestones
Brown Gold: Milestones of African American Children’s Picture Books, 1845-2002, by Michelle H. Martin is a compelling history and analysis of African-American children’s picture books from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. The book above was published by McLoughlin Brothers, 1875. Read a sample of Brown Gold by clicking here. I could write an entire [ Read the full article… ]