Colorful. Credible. Necessary. These are the words that describe my feelings about Francie Latour’s debut picture book, Auntie Luce’s Talking Paintings. “Colorful” because both the text and the artwork are equally vivid and evocative. “Credible” because of the many nuanced details in this culture-rich story, written about a Haitian-American by a Haitian-American. “Necessary” because children’s books centered in Haitian [ Read the full article… ]
Source: Day 12: Francie Latour
Many books are told through the eyes and mind of one person, whose opinions sway the storyline in to what the events and situations were like for them. But there is more than one side to every story. The following books are told by two or sometimes more perspectives.
Each one of these books also cover many current issues that young adults face today. Ranging from grief, mental health, suicide, gun violence and domestic violence, these novels discuss topics that should be talked about more often. However, just like life, these books are also filled with love, friendship, support, inspiration and optimism.
It’s hard to explain how in love I was with the following books whilst reading them. Heart wrenching, inspiring and raw, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing the stories of multiple diverse characters in these young adult books told by multiple perspectives.
All The Bright Places – Jennifer Niven
All…
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Today, it’s short story collections and anthologies for middle grade or young adult readers. While some are classic, and others quite recent, they all make good additions to home and school libraries. Porch lies : Tales of Slicksters, Tricksters, and Other Wily Characters by Patricia C. McKissack ; illustrated by André Carrilho. Schwartz and Wade […]
Librarians play a crucial role in literacy. Not only do they impart of life long love of reading, but they also teach information literacy. In its essence, this means they teach how to locate, access, evaluate, organize and present information but on a grander scale, they teach that authority is contextual, scholarship is a conversation, […]
Today, more than ever, the presence of Black librarians is crucial. As part of my work this month, I’ve chosen to highlight the work of Black librarians who work with youth or youth literature. I met Christina, aka Miss Fabularian on Twitter and have been so impressed with the work she does to be relevant […]
Today, more than ever, the presence of Black librarians is crucial. As part of my work this month, I’ve chosen to highlight the work of Black librarians who work with youth or youth literature. K.C. Boyd, a 2015 Library Journal ‘Library Mover and Shaker, has worked over 20 years in three different school districts. In […]
Today we welcome Leslie C. Youngblood, whose middle grade debut, LOVE LIKE SKY, was released in October of 2018. The Backstory The character of G-baby (Georgie) has been with me since my first published piece, “King of Soul,” in the late 1990s. G-baby lives with her grandmother and is awaiting a visit from her father. [ Read the full article… ]
Source: Day 11: Leslie C. Youngblood
Humble, loving and sincere, Laura Pegram believes in celebrating children’s book creators of color and Native creators but shies from shining the spotlight on herself. We’re delighted to turn the table and share some of her many accomplishments. Whether crooning jazz, painting murals, teaching or writing her own stories, Laura’s talent dazzles and glows. She [ Read the full article… ]
Source: Day 10: Laura Pegram
Tatyana is a celebrated street artist and now the debut illustrator of the picture book biography, Libba – The Magnificent Musical Life of Elizabeth Cotton. Based on the story written by musician Laura Veirs, Tatyana masterfully evokes the times and musical talent of Libba. As a young girl, Libba wrote one of her most popular [ Read the full article… ]
Source: Day 9: Tatyana Fazlalizadeh
There are many paths to writing for children. Still, some might be wondering how today’s spotlight author traveled away from the glitz and glitter of Hollywood to the trenches of kidlit. Her journey speaks to the power of the pen and how passion for representation burns in all of us. Excited to highlight Dana L. [ Read the full article… ]
Source: Day 8 – Dana L. Davis
The CamaraIfe Maktaba 