I met illustrator Nickie Tadgell at a We Need Diverse Books event at Annie’s Book Swap in Worcester, Massachusetts. Nickie is the illustrator of many books including the beautiful FATUMA’S NEW CLOTH by Leslie Builion. Nickie’s just illustrated a new book, REAL SISTERS PRETEND by Megan Dowd Lambert, the story of a mixed race family…
Posts Categorized: Articles
I Love the Novel Any Way I Can
When I was a child, I always wished my family would talk to each other the way people talked to each other in books. Or maybe I wanted my family to reveal their hearts or even know their hearts and use language as a way to speak truths to each other. Books fed this hunger…
REFORMA: “A book is a companion that will bring you light and comfort.”
My article was first opublished by The Pirate Tree: Social Justice and Children’s Literature The group Reforma, an American Library Association affiliate, and IBBY, the International Board of Books for Young People, have, at their core, the driving belief that every child has the right to read.
Braids and Belonging, On Writing a Story of a Girl from South Sudan
Excerpt from “Braids and Belonging” my article in IBBY LINK, Spring-Summer, 2015 the journal of IBBY UK, International Board of Books for Young People in the United Kingdom. “From the beginning of my years with the girls of Sudan, it was so much about hair. I saw how the styles were a vital part of…
Fisher Boys
“Sometimes a boy can step through the flimsy planks made from nibong palm trees that form the floor of the fishing platform. He could hurt his leg very badly. Sometimes when the moon is full and the fish are running, he can only catnap throughout the night.” Read my full article here: “Fisher Boys” about…