In February, we here at The Brown Bookshelf will begin our first initiative, 28 Days Later. For each day, we will highlight an author of children’s or young adult books. To go along with the initiative, I’ve designed a poster which will be available for download. For now, question marks mask the faces of the [ Read the full article… ]
Category: Bookshelf Resources
Thinking Teen
I’ve been asked by both adults and teens, how am I able to write an authentic teen experience, as I’m obviously well beyond my teen years. My answer is always the same: My primary responsibility as a writer, is to write a teen character that’s true to my story and the fictional world I’ve developed. [ Read the full article… ]
The beauty of words
You hear it all the time now, every time you turn on the radio. Syncopated rhythms, heavy beats, words laced together at an alarming speed. But where many people hear blasting music and demeaning lyrics , I hear alliteration, assonance, and allegory. Simply put, I hear poetry. Of course, I’m not saying that there aren’t a [ Read the full article… ]
Help! My Kids Don’t Like to Read
If you’re a teacher, author, librarian, bookstore employee, chances are that you’ve been asked, “How do I get my kids or students to read more?” or “How do I get my kids or students to like reading?” As a teacher, I was asked some variation of those questions. Since becoming an author, I’ve been asked [ 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… ]
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… ]
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… ]