Image Credit: Viking Books, Blythe Russo Sloths are professionals at sleeping, but are they good at sleepovers?? In this delightful story of friendship, snoozes and snacks, Paloma and Sloth experience their first sleepover together. Sloth is initially delighted to receive an invitation to her very first sleepover, but when she arrives at Paloma’s apartment, she realizes she might be a teensy bit confused about what actually happens during a sleepover. Staying up all night?! That’s not what she thought was going to happen… Paloma guides Sloth through all the customary fun-times of a sleepover ..read more

Check out my recent interview with Dr. Shawnta Barnes on her show EdGems. We chat about libraries as rich resources, book banning, audio books and more ..read more

May 2nd is the Book Birthday of Angeline Boulley’s next thriller, WARRIOR GIRL UNEARTHED. Be sure to head out to your local bookstore or pick up a copy from a Black-owned online retailer like Brain Lair Books through their Bookshop page or through a Native-owned bookshop like Birchbark Books. I can’t wait to give my mind and spirit some rest this summer. I look forward to picking up books I haven’t had time to enjoy due to a busy school year. Congrats on another book, Angeline! And congrats to the entire team at Macmillan that worked to bring these books into the world. Book Tour informat ..read more

I haven’t been blogging but I have been doing bookish things, my friends. On April 8th, at Mystery to Me Bookstore in Madison, WI, I had the pleasure of hearing Kevin Henkes speak about his new book THE WORLD AND EVERYTHING IN IT. It was a lovely talk and he is a lovely person. My friend Caitlin and I noticed how the children in the audience were completely engaged the entire presentation. He talked about his craft, brought some process paintings and read his new book aloud to us. He even signed my childhood copy of OWEN! Check out my review of OWEN here. Kevin Henkes holding up his tiny bo ..read more

Me (on the far left) with my 2022 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Jury! Back in June of 2022 I wrapped up one-year of service on the 2022 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Jury. We were tasked with the responsibility of reading through children’s books published in 2021, for ages 0-18, that were written or illustrated by Black creators. The purpose of the award is to highlight books that “reflect the Black experience.” As any Black person knows, that is a difficult task, as there is no one “Black experience.” This is something we had to discuss time and time again as we broke down every book that ..read more

Screenshot from French figure skater Surya Bonaly’s Instagram. Super excited that there’s a new picture book about Surya Bonaly in France! It will be translated to English next year. I grew up watching Surya skate and I can’t wait to read this book & share it with little ones. Wonderful! Check out her Instagram page for more information ..read more

Good evening. I woke up today in the mood to write a quick blog post. Tomorrow (click here) at 8am CT, we’ll celebrate another round of excellent children’s literature & so I’ve been thinking about what touched me/left an impression over the last year. I know a little bit about the rigor and dedication that goes into serving on Caldecott Committee. After a year of reading and an entire weekend of debate (and snacks) in Philly, my 2020 committee chose THE UNDEFEATED for the gold & BEAR CAME ALONG, GOING DOWN HOME WITH DADDY & DOUBLE BASS BLUES for honors. 2020 Caldecott Committee ..read more

Image Credit: Charlesbridge, JaNay Brown-Wood/Illustrated by Priscilla Burris Grandma’s Tiny House beautifully affirms Black family-love while being a super clever counting book. It reminds me of Just a Minute! by Yuyi Morales and that’s a pretty remarkable book! The story begins with Grandma sitting in her very tiny house, waiting for her HUGE family, friends and neighbors to roll through. Dish by dish, pot by pot, all her guests bring delicious treats (mostly soul-food classics) to share. But very quickly, they run out of space until one of her granddaughters has a GREAT idea that’ll ..read more

Been busy, y’all… Hi everyone, *blows dust off website* It’s been a while. Sheesh. I’ve been very, very busy doing some really cool stuff that I’ll share with you RIGHT NOW.   I was appointed to the 2020 Randolph Caldecott Committee!! **AHHHHH** Anyone who’s been following my blog a while knows how passionate I am about picture books. This is a dream, y’all. And to be APPOINTED?! I’m SO grateful and EXCITED. Thank you ALSC for seeing my hard work and believing that I can do a great job on this committee. I can’t wait to spend 2019 reading and reflecting on EVERY ELIGIBLE PICTURE BOOK ..read more