Celebrating Black Authors Past and Present: Favorite Reads and
Soon-to-Be Classics for Young Readers
Partnered with:
The Brown Bookshelf
This February, The Brown Bookshelf will launch its 10th “28 Days Later” campaign. An annual celebration of debut, trailblazing, and “under-the-radar” Black authors and illustrators in the world of children’s literature, 28 Days Later has offered a decade of in-depth profiles and behind-the-scenes looks at these creators and their work. Year-round, The Brown Bookshelf advocates for the need for what Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop called “mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors,” and for the representation of the infinite stories Black creators have to tell. Here, five Brown Bookshelf team members reflect on favorite 28 Days Later moments of the past, and tell us what they’re looking forward to reading in 2017.
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“I had a great time working with Marguerite Abouet for her 28 Days Later profile in 2010. Not only did I have to revive my rusty French-language skills for the interview, but it was such a joy to be immersed in these stories, inspired by her memories of childhood in Cote d’Ivoire. A welcome antidote to the “single African story” that focuses on dust, poverty, and baobab trees, Abouet’s gorgeous Aya graphic novels are about vibrant communities, full-bodied characters who live and love and laugh and cry in their complex lives. They are serious page-turners too — I tore through them. She also founded a literacy organization, Des Livres pour Tous, to support “children who would not normally have access to books … to interact, to develop their reading and writing skills, to nourish and develop their imagination, to argue, exchange, and discuss books in ways that will open up their worlds.” Marguerite Abouet truly inspired, and I was glad to feature her again in our 2016 campaign, for her delightful and hilarious younger series, Akissi.
I’m really looking forward to the release of Renée Watson’s YA novel Piecing Me Together. I love Renée’s work; her voice is always powerful, her stories are thoughtful and nuanced, and her characters are complex and vividly drawn. I fell in love with the cover right away, and the main character, Jade, a gifted collage artist, is a young woman after my own crafty heart. Piecing Me Together has already racked up a bunch of starred reviews — and Publishers Weekly said “Watson’s story trumpets the power of artistic expression to re-envision and change the world,” and Kirkus called it “a timely, nuanced, and unforgettable story about the power of art, community, and friendship.” But the best review came from my daughter, who read an advance copy, and said quietly, ‘Mom, this book is beautiful.’ I got next!”
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“I worked for a long time in educational publishing, and then as an editor at Rosen publishing where we dealt entirely in producing nonfiction books for children, so I have a particular love of nonfiction children’s literature. Despite the increasing interest in nonfiction since Common Core came on the scene, there has always been a dearth of authors of color writing nonfiction, so when I find one, I am particularly pleased. Black Hands, White Sails by Patricia and Frederick McKissack is the rare combination of black authors writing nonfiction featuring black people. What’s more, this Caldecott awarded book is a fascinating look at industrious black men who, following the end of the Civil War, were unafraid of taking their fortune into their own hands at the risk of their very lives. In this very short piece, we learn about Frederick McKissack’s meticulous research. It should be enough to whet your appetite for the entire book, but if it isn’t, this may: the book was a Coretta Scott King honor book in 1999, and contains original maritime documents and photographs to support this fascinating snippet of history. The authors also wove in the history of the abolitionist movement and the Underground Railroad that ran concurrent with the heyday of whaling in U.S. history.
One of the books I’m most looking forward to this year is Ibi Zoboi’s American Street. As an immigrant who moved to the U.S. as a teen, I am particularly drawn to Fabiola’s story of emigration from a Caribbean island, and the difficulties she faces once she lands. Zoboi weaves in elements of magical realism, further adding to the odd and disorienting experience of trying to make a home in a place that feels like anything but. American Street has already picked up a starred review from Kirkus, and has been featured in Ebony Magazine, Teen Vogue, and on Barnes & Noble’s blog as a most anticipated debut.”
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American Street
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“A full circle moment for me was featuring acclaimed author Sharon Dennis Wyeth in The Brown Bookshelf’s 2011 28 Days Later campaign. A decade earlier, her picture book, Something Beautiful, called me to write for kids. I remember gazing at the sweet brown girl on the cover with her ballies, barrettes, and big smile and thinking of girls in my family and myself at that age. Then, I read the story of her quest to find beauty in her neighborhood and was transformed. Not only did she find out what others considered beautiful, she learned the power to make a difference lived in her. A children’s book that affirmed the beauty of an African-American child and celebrated creating change where you are? I was hooked and wanted to add my voice.
A book I’m looking forward to is The Legendary Miss Lena Horne, written by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon. When some people think of Lena Horne, they picture her as a glamorous actress and singer. But how many know she was also a champion of civil rights? Horne used her platform to stand against racism, refusing to perform for segregated audiences during World War II, pushing for laws to stop lynchings, performing and speaking at marches and rallies. With Carole’s powerful, lyrical voice and Elizabeth’s lovely art, I know the book is a winner. Already, it has earned starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist. I can’t wait to read it and share.”
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Something Beautiful
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“I had only been a member of The Brown Bookshelf for one year when I got the assignment to interview Mildred Pitts Walter for our 28 Days Later program. The first few times I tried to contact her were fruitless. After a while, I thought maybe she just didn’t want to be bothered. And then I got an email, full of information from her, telling me everything I needed to know and more. It was then that I realized she was ninety-two years old, and that I wasn’t just interviewing an author of the past. I was interviewing someone who had helped to shape the future for me and other African American authors. So … I called her on the phone. We spoke for an hour about everything under the sun, including the days when she helped to train Freedom Fighters, and everything she had to go through just to use the library, and the condition of her school, and why she became an author. Mildred Pitts Walter will forever be special in my heart. Because of women like her, I’m able to do anything I want to do without the pressures she faced. And had it not been for The Brown Bookshelf’s 28 Days Later program, I would have never had the opportunity to meet her.
I am most looking forward to Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give, which will be published on February 28, 2017. Film rights have been optioned by Fox 2000 with George Tillman attached to direct and “Hunger Games” actress Amandla Stenberg attached to star. Angie Thomas is a 2017, 28 Days Later honoree, so we will all learn more about her, and her debut novel soon!”
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The Hate U Give
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“I’m quite honored to have conducted an interview with the venerable Joyce Carol Thomas in 2011. In preparation for the interview, I read a number of her picture books in one sitting — and afterward stood in awe of her poetic artistry. The Blacker the Berry was particularly resonant with me and remains one of my favorite picture books today. Ms. Thomas passed away last year in August. To know that I had a hand in honoring her during one of our 28 Days Later campaigns — it is a special memory I will cherish always.
One of the books I’m looking forward to in 2017 is Andrea J. Loney’s Take a Picture of Me, James Van Der Zee!, the 2014 winner of Lee & Low’s New Voices Award, scheduled to be released this spring. It is a picture book biography of the African American photographer particularly known for his pictorial chronicles of the black middle class during the Harlem Renaissance, as well as his portraits of various famous New Yorkers.”
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See more works from Black authors and illustrators, and this year’s 28 Days Later celebration, at thebrownbookshelf.com.