Sisters are From Heaven - new book

A new photo picture book is "Sisters are From Heaven" by two real life sisters Onjeinika Brooks and Tamika Jackson from Wilmington, North Carolina but now living in the greater Washington, DC area. Onjeinika penned the words. Tamika composed the photographs. The book explains why God gives us siblings. This 24-page book is available from Xlibris.com for $12.99. Enjoy!

Soul Name by Naana Kyereboah

Soul Name by Naana Kyereboah sheds light on the Ghanaian tradition for naming children. The story is told from the viewpoint of Ekua, a young girl who is allowed to witness the naming ceremony for her baby brother.

This 48-page book moves gently through the early morning naming ceremony attended by parents and grandparents, the pouring of libations for the ancestors, the blessing by the father and family elders, the formal giving of gifts, and then the extended family celebration with food and drink. Soul Name places the naming of a Ghanaian child in the context of culture: how is a name selected, who gets the honor of naming a child. It's a good read!

Lonnie Carmon is the book's illustrator. His drawings are approachable and move the story along. Soul Name, one is surprised to know, comes with a CD. You can listen to the storyteller read Soul Name. What a great value! The book and CD retail for $19.95. Enjoy!

Ida B. Wells Let the Truth Be Told by Walter Dean Myers

Later this Fall Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins, will publish "Ida B. Wells: Let the Truth Be Told" by Walter Dean Myers and illustrated by Bonnie Christensen. This 38-page picture book is a biography of a crusading African American woman. Myers shares details of Ida B. Wells' life that even as an adult I was not aware of having not yet read Wells' autobiography, "Crusade for Justice."

I can easily see 4 - 7 graders reading this book - ok, the younger ones will have to have it read to them. They will learn about Ida B. Wells taking care of her brothers and sisters single-handedly after their parents pass-away unexpectedly. They will learn about the event that motivated her to write articles protesting lynching of African Americans in the US. They will learn about her invitations to speak before English and Scottish audiences about the plight of Black folks. They will learn that Susan B. Anthony gave Wells attitude when Wells accepted the marriage proposal from Ferdinand Lee Bernett. They will also learn that Wells created the first voting organization for African American women in Illinois. It was called the Alpha Suffrage Club. Finally, they will learn that Wells even ran for public office!

The book includes a two-page timeline covering major events in Wells' life, including the creation in 1990 of a US Postal Stamp featuring Wells.

Thanks to the folks at Amistad for sending a review copy. I hope that Chasing Ray will also get to read this book, too!

Sunny's Adventures by Leketha Marie Johnson

Growing up I enjoyed Encyclopedia Brown mystery stories. Rarely was there an African American character mentioned in the entire series. Now, we have Sunny's Adventures thanks to Leketha Marie Johnson. Sunny seems to have a happy life living with her Mom, Dad, and Grandmothers. The book includes

• The Case of the Missing Puppy
• The Case of the Missing Turtle
• The Cooking Contest Mystery
• The Case of the Missing Doll
• The Disappearing Diamon Ring

Leketha Marie Johnson has created a spunky, intelligent, likeable character that I hope will be around for many, many more books! Enjoy!

When My Daddy Died by B. R. Sargent

To help little ones cope with the death of a father, consider "When My Daddy Died: Help the Child in Your Life Move Through Grief to Understanding" by B. R. Sargent. This 16-page softcover book includes simple sentences on pages that a little one can draw pictures onto to help deal with the death of a Dad. The book encourages conversation between a child and a close adult. B. R. Sargent is a wife, mother, ordained minister, and youth pastor in Maryland.

All About Me - Briana's Neighborhood by Sahar Simmons

Are you interested in a series of books about a spunky black girl from Brooklyn? Meet Briana and her visit her diverse neighborhood! Hampton University grad Sahar Simmons created Briana and is the author of:
All About Me (2007)
Boys Will Be Boys (2007)
Down South (coming soon)

Nicolette Moran, from England and Wales, is the illustrator. Looking forward to reading these three and seeing more in the series! Enjoy!

My Grandma's Backyard by the Rabun brothers

I read online about two young brothers, Miles and William Rabun, who self-published a children's picture book, titled My Grandma's Backyard. The brothers live in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Wanting to support their effort, I did purchase the book.

The brothers have written a simple story about the enchanting times and things they can do in their Grandmother's backyard garden. I suspect an adult helped with the fun pages in the back of the book about rhyming words, items you can find and activities you can do in the backyard. The book is a very quick read, but surely fun for little ones. The photos of the boys demonstrate to young kids that yes, they too can be an author.

Illustrations are by Tony Moore, who I wished had included more emotions and people. There's a passage about kids performing plays in the backyard - but the illustration is two empty stairs. A missed opportunity to SHOW the fun the boys have.

Miles and William are fortunate to have parents who encourage and fund their writing efforts (e.g., self-publishing, hiring an illustrator, and a multi-page website). I do look forward to their next adventure. Enjoy!

My Grandma's Backyard by Miles and William Rabun. Xlibris. 2007. $17.32 on Amazon.

Can a Black Kid be President - What Picture Books Show Us

Images matter. No one can escape the Presidential campaign process. Can a Black Kid be President - if you had to look at picture book covers to determine this? Are there titles you would suggest sharing with an African American child to give him or her a sense that she could indeed become the President of the United States of America?

• If I Ran for President by Catherine Stier, illustrations Lynne Avril
• Barack Obama: An American Story: An American Story by Roberta Edwards, illustrations by Ken Call. 48 pages.
• Jesse Jackson: A Voice for Change by Steve Otfinoski
  
• Shirley Chisholm for President--the story of Shirley Chisholm by Leonore K. Itzkowitz (1974) Wish I had a picture of this one!

What's That? A Tale of Cholesterol

Dr. Lisa Price Stevens, a Norfolk, VA internist, has written an 18-page illustrated story titled "What's That: A Tale of Cholesterol" (Trafford Publishing, 2006). In this story, Junior and his Grandma visit the local grocery story to get a few items. Junior spies a jar of "fatback" and asks Grandma what it is. "Grandma, that's gross. Do you eat it?" Junior asks... and thus starts the lesson on healthy eating. Grandma recounts why folks ate fatback and how one can make different choices today. The book retails for $10. It's a fast read that's bound to encourage kids to ask more questions. There's a table in the back of the book to provide kids with healthier choices for popular foods. Arthur Simmons, Jr. provides the heart-warming illustrations. Enjoy!

K.E.N.N.Y - Kids Making Money Book

I Love this cover! I'd buy a cup cake from this young man. Who knows, he may be the owner of the future CakeLove bakery (Warren Brown, an African American owned establishment in the DC/VA area. A new CakeLove recently opened blocks from my home in VA!)

So, what is K.E.N.N.Y? It stands for Kid Entrepreneurs Need Nourishing Young. The "K.E.N.N.Y. BOOK is a newly designed 8-1/2 x 11 workbook with over 64 pages of activities for kids ages 3-10 years old. The curriculum features easy to follow time-saving age appropriate business projects, fun games, business activities, stories of kid and adult entrepreneurs, business tips for kids and so much more." Ken and Jacquelyn Payne are the publishers of the K.E.N.N.Y as well as the Black Pages, East Tennessee. Enjoy!

Princess Aisha - First in Series of Five

.......................................................Kay Lovelace Taylor is the author of Princess Aisha and the Cave of Judgement, the first of a series of five softcover adventure picture books. How refreshing to see an adventurous and brave Black girl following her instincts, even in the face of danger. The theme of this story is to decide for yourself instead of depending solely on the assessment of others. One interesting feature of this story, is that the author leaves space for you to insert the name of a child to play the part of Princess Aisha's best friend. Interesting personalization device. Karen C. Rhine visually moves the story through with her illustrations. 40 pages. Copyright 2006. I recommend this book for young girls - and can't wait to read the others in the series. Enjoy!

1951 Ukelele, Little Golden Book + Puzzle

Several years ago a dear friend gave me a copy of the 1951 Little Golden Book, Ukelele and Her New Doll (#102). The book tells the story of Ukelele of the South Seas who loves the wooden doll her father made her. When British sailors land on her tiny island, one sailor gives her a fancy-dress porcelain doll. Ukelele abandons her wooden doll, but soon learns she can't have the same fun with the delicate porcelain fancy doll and returns to her beloved wooden playmate. Not to get too deep - I love that Ukelele returns to the doll her father carved - and symbolically retains ties to her own culture.

The July 16 issue of Publishers Weekly focuses on Fall 2007 Children's books. There's a excerpt of the upcoming Leonard S. Marcus book, Golden Legacy: How Golden Books Won Children's Hearts, Changed Publishing Forever, and Became An American Icon Along the Way. The book celebrates the 65th anniversary of the Little Golden Books.

After reading this article, I found my copy of Ukelele, which included a 12-piece puzzle (ok - two of my pieces are missing) and re-read it. Still a delight. Then, saw on eBay that there's a pristine copy for sale at $150! I hadn't realized there's an entire collectible market for Little Golden Books - complete with annual price guides compiled by Steve Santi. What childhood would have been like if the 65 year history of Little Golden Books had included positive stories about African Americans - stories beyond Little Black Sambo? What was your favorite LGB?

Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories by Geoffrey Phillip

Summer is HERE! A new book to read to your young child or for your pre-teen is "Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories" by Geoffrey Philip. From the backcover:

"Jimmy Harrison loves school and his favorite subject is snack time! But when a new boy, Kevin, joins his class, he begins to bully Jimmy and the rest of the children. What's worse, he begins to take away Jimmy's snacks. Using the wisdom from his Grandpa Sydney's story about "Anancy, Snake, and Tiger," Jimmy overcomes the class bully. And for one Sundy, he reunites his family for dinner."

I personally enjoyed reading about Jimmy's family. I love that he lives in a home with his parents and Grandpa and that you get to meet the regular folks in the neighborhood. You can tell there's love and a common direction in the family. Kids reading this book will really enjoy rooting for Jimmy as he strategizes how to deal with the school bully, who you will want to punch out yourself! Geoffrey Philips does a great job of pacing the book over the seven chapters and unfolding the school yard drama.

Geoffrey Philip is a novelist and poet. With Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories, Geoffrey shares his beloved Jamaican and Caribbean storytelling traditions. For those who are interested in how one decides to write a book or goes about creating their first children's book, read Geoffrey's blog post on what he learned while writing this book.

Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories - Five out of five stars! You can purchase the book on Amazon.com. You can also purchase the 60 page book on Lulu.com for $12.95 - OR - you can even download the book for only $6.95. Great value. For teachers, kid's book clubs, or homeschool teaching Moms, you'll appreciate that Geoffrey includes book discussion questions and critical thinking questions to tease out book themes for you. Enjoy!

Review - The Perfume of Memory

Gentle story for any young girl... The Perfume of Memory by Michelle Nikly. This 32-page picture book tells the story of a kingdom where traditions are forgotten, including the one allowing girls to participate in the annual Royal Perform Making competition. Motherless Yasmin uses the perfume-making skills her father taught her to help the Queen regain her memories.

Beautifully written. With Jean Claverie's delicate illustrations you can smell the scents of the kingdom swirling up from the pages.

Review - Bake Shop Ghost

There's snow outside... time to bake the "Ghost-Pleasing Chocolate Cake" recipe found in Jacqueline K. Ogburn's The Bake Shop Ghost.

Miss Cora Lee Merriweather, the former proprietor and resident ghost, haunts her old shop, Merriweather Bake Shop, and scares away all potential owners... except pastry chef Annie Washington. Sistah Annie will have none of Miss Cora's scary mischief making! Miss Cora agrees to spirit away, if Annie can "make a cake so rich and so sweet, it will fill me up and bring tears to my eyes...."

Young readers will delight in Annie's baking banquet! This book is delicious!