Earlier this year at a reading conference, I signed my picture book, The Cart That Carried Martin, written by Eve Bunting. The book was published by Charlesbridge Publishing. Before my signing, I nervously wandered around the Charlesbridge booth. Signings can be a scary thing, especially as a book creator of color, in an exhibit hall filled [ Read the full article… ]
For our series, MAKING OUR OWN MARKET, Kirsten Cappy of Curious City, a book consulting company, tackles the subject of marketing books created by or about African Americans. Taking Book Marketing Off the Page, Out of the Park by Kirsten Cappy of Curious City For me, children’s book marketing on the Brown Bookshelf or off has [ Read the full article… ]
Higgins Bond is a trailblazer. She has been a freelance illustrator and fine artist for almost forty years. She has received many awards, including a medal of honor from Governor Bill Clinton, the Ashley Bryan Award for outstanding contributions to children’s literature. She has exhibited her work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York [ Read the full article… ]
On Saturday, February 1, literary consultant and multicultural children’s literature advocate Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati will host the 22nd African American Children’s Book Fair at the Community College of Philadelphia. It’s a stand-out event that attracts thousands of readers who want to celebrate black children’s book creators and purchase books for their schools, libraries and homes. We [ Read the full article… ]
Picture books that commemorate this historic day: I Have a Dream, by Martin Luther King, Jr; illustrated by Kadir Nelson (Schwartz & Wade, 2012) Synopsis from publisher: “From Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s daughter, Dr. Bernice A. King: “My father’s dream continues to live on from generation to generation, and this beautiful and powerful illustrated edition [ Read the full article… ]
So. Summer vacation is half over. Have you gotten some swim time in? Seen the latest movies? Visited the grandparents? Reached your summer reading goal? We can help you with the last one. The Brown Bookshelf sent out a call to publishers and readers, asking for the latest and greatest children’s books by African-American authors and illustrators. Below [ Read the full article… ]
In a few days, summer will officially be here. Time for vacations, reunions, camps, fun with cousins and friends. But don’t forget to encourage the kids in your life to read. First Book created this eye-opening graphic that shows the effects of the summer slide, the loss of reading skills that can happen when kids don’t read during the summer break [ Read the full article… ]
Given the release of “42,” the story of how Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball, we feature a couple of books about the legendary star and others. Jackie Robinson: American Hero, written by Sharon Robinson (Scholastic, 2013; ages 7 and up). In this comprehensive biography, Sharon Robinson introduces a new generation of readers [ Read the full article… ]