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… ]
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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… ]
Required Reading
I was going to make a post today about the importance of ethnicity-based literary awards, such as the Coretta Scott King Awards. Instead, I’ve decided to post links to two articles about that very subject. In his article, “Slippery Slopes and Proliferating Prizes” (Horn Book Magazine, May/June 2001) Marc Aronson (then editor and publisher of Cricket Books) discusses [ Read the full article… ]
A Brown Bookshelf Trailblazer
One of my most favorite places in the world is the library. You know how most women might love to be locked inside of a department store or shoe store for a weekend? I would love to be locked inside the library. Even now, I love to go to the library and walk the aisles [ Read the full article… ]
Pearls of Knowledge
As a child, I always peppered everyone with questions. Why is Pennsylvania called The Keystone State? Who invented crayons? What causes a rainbow? My grandma’s eyes would twinkle before she delivered her trademark response: “Look it up in your Funk & Wagnalls.” She was referring me to the dictionary and cream-colored set of encyclopedias that sat on my bookshelf. And sure enough, [ Read the full article… ]