By Miriam Moore-Keish Today we're pleased to welcome Nikki Shannon Smith to the WNDB blog to discuss Lena and the Burning of Greenwood: A Tulsa Race Massacre Survival Story, illustrated by Markia Jenai, out January 1, 2022. In the early 1920s, the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is the … [Read more...] about Q&A With Nikki Shannon Smith, Lena and the Burning of Greenwood: a Tulsa Race Massacre Survival Story
Black characters
Q&A with Doyin Richards, Watch Me
By JoAnn Yao Today we're pleased to welcome Doyin Richards to the blog to discuss his new picture book Watch Me: A Story of Immigration and Inspiration, out now! A picture book about immigration, WATCH ME is based on the author's father's own story. Joe came to America from Africa when he … [Read more...] about Q&A with Doyin Richards, Watch Me
I Wrote a Dark-Skinned Black Girl Like Me Into a Musical Theater Story
By Dana L. Davis “Omigosh, Mom. You have to hear this new song,” I gushed on a cool day in November. It was 1996, and I was a senior in high school. I had just discovered music from a show that was headed to Broadway. I should mention it was my favorite time of year. The lush green trees that … [Read more...] about I Wrote a Dark-Skinned Black Girl Like Me Into a Musical Theater Story
Why Diverse Books Are Important for Everyone—Not Just Marginalized Kids
By Tricia Elam Walker When I was eight years old, I wrote and illustrated my first book. My mother, a children’s librarian, showed me how to sew the pages together so it would open like a real book. Children’s books were more precious than jewels to her and she passed that love on to me. The main … [Read more...] about Why Diverse Books Are Important for Everyone—Not Just Marginalized Kids
Q&A With Leah Johnson, You Should See Me in a Crown
By Aaron H. Aceves Today we’re pleased to welcome Leah Johnson to the WNDB blog to discuss her young adult novel You Should See Me in a Crown, out June 2, 2020! Liz Lighty has always believed she's too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But … [Read more...] about Q&A With Leah Johnson, You Should See Me in a Crown
