Malorie Blackman laments the lack of BAME children’s characters. I know – it’s a real battle to get writers of colour publishedMy daughter, like me, is of mixed heritage. She has wildly curly hair, as have I. When she was born four years ago I was given five copies of the same kids’ picture book by well-meaning friends and relatives. It was called Guess How Much I Love You. This book, whose lead characters are rabbits, was a bestseller in the 1990s. Back then it flew off the shelves. What I did not expect when I was pregnant with my daughter was that it would be far easier to find her a rabbit picture book than one featuring a child like her with brown skin and curls.This week Malorie Blackman, author of Noughts and Crosses, told Channel 4 News that of the many books she read as a child “not one of them featured a black child like me”, adding that “it made me feel invisible in the world of literature”. And when, in her mid-20s, she noticed in a children’s bookshop that little had changed, “that’s when I decided that I wanted to write for children ... for the child in me, really, for all the books I wish I could have read as a child”.If we feel disconnected from each other, perhaps it starts in this skewed, unrepresentative vision of the world that begins in our books when we are at knee height Related: Whatever happened to author Dorothy West? Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2019-08-17 07:00:41 UTC ]
Literary agent for children's book authors Mary Cummings explains the biggest mistake she sees in picture book pitches—and how you can avoid making that mistake. The post Picture Book or Short Story? Which is it? appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2025-05-03 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler have announced they are working on a new outing for the monster in the deep dark wood, due out in September 2026He’s got knobbly knees, turned-out toes, a poisonous wart at the end of his nose … and he’s back, for the first time in more than 20 years: Julia... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2025-04-30 11:30:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Down the belly of the whale, a submerged world of gods and myth, rival bookshop owners, and more of today's best book deals. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-04-29 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Bestselling author Joan Holub shares her expertise at storyboarding picture books and graphic novels, with both authors and illustrators. The post Storyboarding for Writers: How Sketching Can Strengthen Your Picture Book or Graphic Novel! appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2025-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
PBS Kids in collaboration with GBH Kids is releasing a slate of short-form episodes and an hour-long special adapted from Kwame Alexander’s picture book 'Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-04-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Author Teresa Argenbright shares five lessons learned about developing a picture book series with recurring characters. The post 5 Lessons Learned: Developing a Picture Book Series With Recurring Characters appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2025-04-08 02:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
When an artist friend came to visit me a few years ago, she remarked on the art hanging up in our house. “It’s all by picture book illustrators!” she said. And I laughed, because although she was perfectly right, I hadn’t even realized it until then. But I do love and admire picture book art, […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-03 09:58:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Matthew Teller, whose books include Nine Quarters of Jerusalem, said the society’s response to the event which saw two leading booksellers detained was ‘an abject failure’A writer has left the Society of Authors (SoA) in protest after the UK’s largest writers’ body made a statement on a recent... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2025-02-20 17:34:09 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A big-name picture book adaptation of the Grimm fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel” goes to HarperCollins, Margaret Atwood brings a memoir to Doubleday, Sourcebooks picks up the memoir of the daughter of Gisele Pelicot, and more in this week’s book deals. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-02-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
There is nothing I love more in a picture book than a good author’s note. Often author’s (and illustrator’s) notes ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-02-13 12:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Regular bookstores might be dying—but bookstores dedicated to romance novels are thriving thanks to TikTok and a desire for third places. Throughout Harvard Square, there are many bookshop brimming with the latest literary fiction and intellectual memoirs, patronized by scholarly types. But in... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2025-02-13 10:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Industry organizations and publishers are condemning the detention of two Palestinian booksellers by Israeli police, who raided the Educational Bookshop in East Jerusalem on February 9, seizing books that they alleged incited terrorism. The booksellers were confined to house arrest this morning. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-02-11 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
These picture book biographies about Black changemakers feature a phenomenal athlete, a Wild West baddie, and a talented singer. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-02-10 13:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
As of this morning, you can now easily buy ebooks from your local indie bookstore. Thanks to Bookshop.org, the reigning David to Am*zon’s Goliath. As Wired reports, a new platform on the site will now sell ebooks directly to customers. Bookshop users can buy and read titles via a handy-dandy... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-01-28 14:35:29 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Among recent book deals are titles guiding Christian women in moving forward after divorce, a look at the psychology of evangelism, a picture book promoting compassion, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-01-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Swiss-themed town of Midway is now home to Folklore Bookshop. Co-owned by children’s author Lindsey Leavitt, Audrey Lind, and Alison Russell, Folklore welcomed customers on October 5 and held a grand opening October 26. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-12-04 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this