Children’s Books for the Heart and Soul & Signed Book GIVEAWAY!: #ReadYourWorld Book Jam 2022

 

Multicultural Children’s Book and The Children’s Book Council are thrilled to team up to present the 2022 #ReadYourWorld Book Jam. Please welcome Tameka Fryer Brown with her list of Children’s Books for the Heart and Soul.

 

We are giving away a signed copy of Brown Baby Lullaby. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom.

Children’s Books for the Heart and Soul

 

Brown Baby Lullaby by Tameka Fryer Brown, illustrated by AG Ford

Brown Baby Lullaby, a gentle rhyming story that chronicles a young family’s nighttime routine, is my love letter to brown-skinned babies everywhere. In addition to sowing seeds of self-love and pride in Black and brown children, it is also a book that sows seeds of connection and inclusion in kids who are not Black or brown. It is my hope that books like Brown Baby Lullaby are shared with all children, so that they blossom into adults who innately believe in the equal value of Black lives. [picture book, ages 0 and up]

Playing the Cards You’re Dealt by Varian Johnson

True representation is in the details and Playing the Cards You’re Dealt is a phenomenal example of how a culturally relevant book should read. This coming-of-age story about shifting friendships, family secrets, and the Blackity-Black game of spades captivated me from the start. I have no doubt middle grade readers will feel the same—both those who live lives similar to Ant’s and those who do not, because the book is equal parts fun and affecting. [middle grade, ages 8 and up]

Tiara’s Hat Parade by Kelly Starling Lyons, illustrated by Nicole Tagdell

When the new store opens and sells its hats at the lowest prices around, Tiara’s mother, a talented milliner, sees a steady decline in customers. Even as Momma shuts down her business, Tiara does everything she can think of to make sure  Momma doesn’t abandon her gift for hat-making. With loving persistence—and some creativity—Tiara gets things headed in the right direction. Tiara’s Hat Parade is a heart-warming tale from beginning to end. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

What Lane? by Torrey Maldonado

What Lane? is a fast-paced read full of many truths and insights about growing up Black in America. It includes themes of self-determination and allyship in action. The main character, Stephen, fights against the idea of being confined to the lanes others try to keep him in, even as he recognizes that traveling in certain lanes are more trouble than they’re worth. What Lane? is an excellent conversation starter on racism and how it manifests in the lives of young people daily. [middle grade, ages 10 and up]

Soul Food Sundayby Winsome Bingham, illustrated by C.G. Esperanza

Food, family, and fun is always a winning combination. Soul Food Sunday, however, takes the idea of family traditions to the next level with its vibrant, lyrical, colorful text and art! Seeing the main character embark on his right of passage, helping Granny make all the family favorites for Sunday dinner, brought back so many childhood memories. Cultural representation is at max level in this book. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

The Oldest Student by Rita Lorraine Hubbard, illustrated by Oge Mora

If “If I can do it, you can do it” was a person, her name would be Mary Walker. This phenomenal woman who learned to read at 116-years-old is one of the most amazing figures I’ve ever heard of, and The Oldest Student was the vehicle through which I was exposed to her. It’s the perfect book for any kid who is stuck on “I can’t.” [picture book, ages 4 and up]

The 1619 Project: Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones andRenée Watson,. illustrated by Nikkolas Smith

One of the things I hated most about learning history in school was that it seemed intentionally designed to make African Americans feel ashamed and powerless. What I love about Born on the Water is that it puts the onus of American slavery and its centuries-long ramifications squarely on the shoulders of those who deserve it, and it does so in an accessible, honest way that will inspire pride, empathy, and, hopefully, activism in readers. [picture book, ages 7 and up]

Max and the Tag-Along Moon by Floyd Cooper

This book gives me all the feels every time I read it. Not only because it reminds me of the profound love I had for my own grandmother, but because the one and only Floyd Cooper poured all the love he had for his grandfather and destined grandsons in each word and on every page.  Max’s tag-along moon, which Granpa says will “always shine for [him]…on and on,” is a metaphor for eternal love. It’s a perfect choice for both cuddle-time and bedtime. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Brown Baby Lullaby Signed Book GIVEAWAY!

We are giving away a signed copy of Brown Baby Lullaby. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter below. We can only mail to U.S. and A.F.O. addresses.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tameka Fryer Brown is a picture book author whose titles include the Charlotte Zolotow Honor-winning My Cold Plum Lemon Pie Bluesy Mood and Brown Baby Lullaby, winner of the 2021 Anna Dewdney Read Together Award. Her work is also featured in the widely-acclaimed anthology, We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices. 

Brown’s forthcoming picture books include Twelve Dinging Doorbells, a humorous tale about Black family gatherings; NOT DONE YET: Shirley Chisholm’s Fight for Change; and That Flag, a story about best friends divided over the meaning and significance of the Confederate flag. To learn more about Tameka Fryer Brown and her work, visit her website, Twitter @teebrownkidlit, Instagram @tamekafryerbrown, and Facebook @tamekafryerbrown.author.