title: The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond author: Brenda Woods date: Nancy Paulsen Books; 2014 main character: Violet Diamond The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond is for those at the younger end of the YA spectrum. Violet Diamond’s universe blossoms as she learns about what makes her who she is. She’s a biracial child growing… Read More book review: The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond
Mari Evans was born in Toledo in 1923. I first encountered her works while in college. I needed a poem and, there she was. Upon discovering that Evans shared my hometown, I tucked her in my memories. After all, who in the world is from Toledo?? Like me, most know Evans as a poet. Her… Read More From the Heartland: Mari Evans
title: Brown Girl Dreaming author: Jacqueline Woodson Date: Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin; August 2014 Main Character: Jacqueline Woodson MIddle Grade Fiction There are rules to children’s books you know, and Jacqueline Woodson just broke one. Brown Girl Dreaming is the author’s poetic telling of her childhood and retrospective visits to childhood are supposed to be adult… Read More Book Review: Brown Girl Dreaming
Crystal Allen writes middle grade/young YA fiction that break the mold of what we too often find in children’s literature. I’m looking forward to reading and reviewing The Laura Line which was released in 2013. Thirteen-year-old Laura Dyson wants two things in life: to be accepted by her classmates and to be noticed by baseball star… Read More Meet Crystal Allen!
“More than two decades ago Wade and Cheryl Hudson were parents on a desperate search for children’s books that reflected the diversity of Black history, heritage and experiences. Disappointed by the limited number and their unreliable availability, the couple embarked upon a mission: to produce the kind of positive, vibrant Black-interest books that they wanted… Read More Giving You More Diversity for 25 Years
Cotton Quilts Edi 