The Jean Little Library Praises Brown Is Warm
I’m both elated and humbled by this review for Brown Is Warm from the Jean Little Library.
This book is perfect in combining the diversity I want to see in my collection with subjects that teachers and parents are looking for and which will make it a popular choice and, possibly, an enduring classic.
Verdict: If you long for beautiful and diverse high-concept books but know they won’t circulate well for you, this is the book you need for your collection! If those high-concept books are easy circulators for you, this lovely book will be a wonderful addition. Either way, I recommend it for most collections.
Along with the illustrator, the editor, the designer, and the production team, I work my hardest at making a book that is beautiful, lyrical, a pleasure for the senses. But the one thing that is always a bit up in the air is reader engagement. I try to keep my readers in mind always, but I’m not sure any writer can ever really read their own work as a reader would–coming to it completely fresh. And the difficulty is doubled when the writer is an adult and the reader is a child.
It’s so gratifying, then, to hear praise from a librarian not just for the literary quality of the book (I mean, thanks for that, I do appreciate it), but also because she believes it will circulate–go into a reader’s hands over and over again. Because that’s what makes a book complete.
Read MoreVirtual Picture Book Panel
I’m so thrilled (and perhaps a touch nervous) to be sharing the news that I’ll be doing a virtual author panel for Brown Is Warm, Black Is Bright. This is the book that School Library Journal describes as:
The book makes for a beautiful read-aloud for a group setting with its detailed full-color vibrant imagery and for individual sharing. File this under Black joy, childhood, autumn reveries, or pair with other celebrations of Black strength and beauty.
The panel will be moderated by the fine staff at Books of Wonder in New York. If you would like to tune in, we’d be so delighted to have you. And please feel free to share this with anyone else you think might be interested.
Date: September 3, 2022
Time: 1:00 PM
How to join
(They recommend reserving a spot, so do check it out before the event starts.
The other authors on the panel will be Sophia N. Lee and Isabel Roxas (Holding On) and Thyra Heder (Sal Boat).
Signed copies of all the books will be available for order. Please come! Spread the word!
Read More
SLJ Star for A Pandemic Is Worldwide
Utterly thrilled to say that School Library Journal has given A Pandemic is Worldwide a starred review! They say:
Read MoreIn simple terms and with lots of explanatory illustrations, this addition to the “Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out” series offers an objective view of a pandemic that is easy to understand…. Stating that a pandemic is caused by a bacteria or a virus, the book describes ways in which readers can actively inhibit the spread of the disease through handwashing, covering injuries, and staying away from sick people; it emphasizes the importance of isolation with a very helpful chart, and even includes directions for proper handwashing technique…. VERDICT: This slender volume may alleviate fears and help readers understand how illness spreads, while its underlying message is that those who wear masks, wash their hands, and stay home can help to end pandemics.
Cover Reveal!
And here it is: the cover for A Pandemic Is Worldwide, to be published in February 2022!
So much gratitude and respect for the illustrator, Taia Morley (do check out her website here), who managed to take on this sobering topic with such grace. The art conveys the seriousness of the situation without letting it get grim.
I have to confess to some sadness, as well. When I first proposed this to my editor, Tamar Mayes at HarperCollins in the summer of 2020, she had a little hesitation (which I shared). A trade book is not a quick undertaking. Even rushing it (which we did), it wouldn’t be on shelves for a year and a half. Would pandemics still be relevant, we wondered? Would the world have moved on?
I’m sad to say–I’m heartbroken to say–this book will be relevant and needed and timely in February of 2022.
Read MoreSarah L. Thomson
A children’s book author publishing award-winning nonfiction, poetry, picture books and novels including…
“Readers will treasure the blossoming friendship between opposites in this whimsically illustrated tale. Short chapters and plenty of action make for an accessible and appealing reading experience. . . . Touching and inspiring.”
—Kirkus Reviews