Some people score book deals through agents. Some get them by submitting work directly to a publisher. Nikkolas Smith, a concept artist and imagineer, landed his first children’s book contract by posting a painting online. His rendering of Olympian Simone Biles right after she won gold went viral and inspired him to create a painting of the […]
Black History Month 2017 Biographies from Crazy QuiltEdi
Roll out Black History Monday and roll out the biographies. This month is always filled with lives of the successful, accomplished and little known African American heroes and sheroes who contributed to the improvement of life in American. While these individuals have overcome most obstacles in front of them, they’re often unable to clear the […]
The Brown Bookshelf 28 Days Later Campaign Day 4 Nadia Hohn
While working with this talented author on her 28 Days Later spotlight, I asked if there was something she would like for people to know about her. The email I received made me have one of those constant blinking moments. I’ll let you read it for yourself. Pay specific attention to her question at the end. […]
The Brown Bookshelf 28 Days Later Campaign Day 5 Olive Senior
Olive Senior’s work has been broadcast on both sides of the Atlantic, including the BBC Book at Bedtime and the CBC Festival of Fiction. Her work has been included in the Best Poems on the Underground published by London Transport, and she is a featured poet on The Poetry Archive. Senior’s work often addresses questions […]
The Brown Bookshelf 28 Days Later Campaign Day 6 LaTisha Redding
Today we shine the spotlight on another debut picture book author, LaTisha Redding. Her first title, Calling the Water Drum (Lee & Low, December 2016, illus.by Aaron Boyd) is the story of Henri, a young immigrant from Haiti who loses his parents as they attempt to make their way “across the great waters” to America. […]
The Brown Bookshelf 28 Days Later Campaign Day 7 Jeffery Weatherford
As a child, Jeffery B. Weatherford had “large hands.” It was a fact that prompted a prediction from his grandmother: someday Jeffery would do something great with those hands. She was right. Jeffery Weatherford grew up to become a multi-talented fine artist and illustrator, who studied computer graphics and animation at Winston-Salem State University, on a full-ride scholarship. Fresh out of college, […]
Black Comix
What’s the buzz about: A collection of art and essays showcasing the best African American artists in today’s vibrant comic book culture.
via #GameChangingKickstarter: BLACK COMIX RETURNS – African American Comic Art & Culture —
The Brown Bookshelf 28 Days Later Campaign Day 8 Leah Henderson
Day 8 begins our focus on book creators for older readers, starting with Leah Henderson whose debut middle grade novel One Shadow on the Wall is due out in June. Leah’s adventuresome spirit and love of stories helped her turn a passing encounter into her first novel. I first met Leah at the Kweli Writers Conference in Spring […]
The Brown Bookshelf 28 Days Later Campaign Day 9 Sarah Everett
This is a special year for The Brown Bookshelf as we celebrate 10 years of bringing authors and illustrators to booklovers. Today, I’m pleased to feature Sarah Everett. She writes from her home in Canada and released her debut novel Everyone We’ve Been in October 2016. She is currently working on a second young adult […]
Book Review: Somos Como Las Nubes / We Are Like the Clouds by Jorge Argueta — Latinxs in Kid Lit
Reviewed by Sanjuana C. Rodriguez, PhD DESCRIPTION FROM THE BOOK JACKET: An eloquent and moving account of the tragic migrations of thousands upon thousands of children who are leaving their homes in Central America, often alone, to seek refuge in the United States. Why are they going and how does it feel to be one of […]
via Book Review: Somos Como Las Nubes / We Are Like the Clouds by Jorge Argueta — Latinxs in Kid Lit






