 Essay by Sonja Thomas: Dreams, Nightmares, and Magic Dreams What do you want to be when you grow up? My answer was never the same. A backup singer like Wendy and Lisa in Prince’s the Revolution. A cartoonist for The Simpsons. A writer like Judy Blume. A dancer, a photographer, a Broadway actor . . . The main character in my new book, OLIVE BLACKWOOD TAKES ACTION!, dreams of directing award-winning movies, just like her dad did before he passed. Eager to apply to an elite summer film camp, Olive’s excited when her film teacher promises a personal recommendation to the winner of the class project. Nightmares In college, I was too afraid to pursue anything creative. So, I became an accountant instead. Eventually, I rediscovered my love of writing. But I was tormented with depression and anxiety. I wrote. I was rejected. I cried. A lot. After a decade, I sold a short story. Then several more. And soon my first novel. What if no one reads it? If they do, I’m sure they’ll hate it. My fear ballooned. Unlike her dad, Olive’s anxiety has her avoiding the spotlight. Staying behind the camera is much easier than having to interact with people. Speaking in front of an audience makes it hard to breathe. She’s plagued with catastrophic thoughts, nausea, sweating while shivering, and diarrhea attacks. Sometimes the fear’s so crippling, she stays in bed. Or it knocks her out with a panic attack. Olive and I share all these anxiety symptoms. Magic Olive and her best friend Kayla started their Book of Enchantment in the third grade and filled it with spells. They do their best to follow the rules of magic. Like life, magic is a mirror of what you believe. It’s stronger when done together and the possibilities are infinite. Magic is a verb. It only happens when you take action, unfolding in its own time and way. Olive and I live with anxiety, but it doesn’t define who we are. Family and friends make us stronger, reminding us that we’re never alone. That strength helps move us toward our dreams, one step at a time. We can’t control other people’s actions or the stuff that life throws at us. So, we try not to take it personally. Instead, we create boundaries, trust our gut, and open to all the possibilities. Magic is make believe. Our belief in ourselves is the most powerful magic there is.  A silly introvert ruled by coffee and cats, Sonja Thomas (she/her) writes stories for kids of all ages. Her debut middle grade novel, SIR FIG NEWTON AND THE SCIENCE OF PERSISTENCE, is an Oregon Book Award finalist, an Oregon Spirit Book Award Honor recipient, and a Washington State Book Award finalist. She’s also a contributing author for GOOD NIGHT STORIES FOR REBEL GIRLS: 100 REAL-LIFE TALES OF BLACK GIRL MAGIC. Her second novel OLIVE BLACKWOOD TAKES ACTION! received “Two thumbs up for this necessary novel about anxiety and self-advocacy” from Kirkus Reviews. www.bysonjathomas.com
 We are thrilled to host Desmond Hall on our blog today. Read our interview with him below: 
 We are so honored to host award-winning author Janice Lynn Mather's essay on our blog today. Read her powerful essay below: Memory 1: I am 17, and bothered. I’m bothered by crime rates. Bothered by the frequency of motorcycle fatalities. Bothered by how often father-aged men hit on me. Now I’m sitting in the upper bleachers of an auditorium filled with students, flanked by two writer friends. We’ve all entered the awkwardly titled I’m Okay, You’re Okay! poetry competition. I eagerly listen for my name, equally hopeful for a win and certain that the judges won’t appreciate my scathing verse, penned in outrage at the condescendingly optimistic theme. Spoiler alert: I did not win. Though scathing correction is never my goal anymore, I still write the tough stuff. My teen characters live through sexual assault, through abandonment, family struggles, grief, loss, simply because teens actually do live through these things. Humans are beautiful and amazing. We are resilient, even when we shouldn’t have to be. You are beautiful and amazing. You are resilient, even when you shouldn’t have to be. But if our stories of strength and survival are told with what feels like one-sided heaviness, it can be hard for others to listen. Memory 2: The message pops up and my heart is in my mouth. The agent who asked to see my full manuscript! This could be the moment where my writing path, my whole life, changes for the best. I see afraid and not quite the right fit and my dreams crash down faster than I can slam my laptop closed, but not before I also glimpse a comment that my main character’s situation feels unrelentingly bleak. I plumet into a funk of discouraged indignation. How dare she? Did she even read the whole thing? When my initial horror wore off, I read and reread that agent’s handful of actually quite thoughtful feedback, and set about reworking Learning to Breathe, my first novel, looking for chances for my main character, Indy, to feel hope. To even feel joy. So when I write about Karmen, scouring her home and her community for any shred of information about her brother’s life that might help her understand his death, I thought unrelentingly bleak. And then I let her breathe a little bit. This is why Karmen hurtles down the street on Julian’s reclaimed skateboard. Why she pauses to enjoy the guava French toast her dad treats her to, one morning. Why she lets a roll of soft yarn linger in her hands as she curls up to finger-knit with her best friend. Why she sinks into love with Isaiah. All while she’s reeling from her brother’s death. It’s important to keep resilience, hope, possibility, within reach. Important for it to feel real that joy exists. Important to know that, even if you’re mired in grief, or loss, or struggle—and we all have a moment, a season, of feeling that way—there can still be moments where it relents. Where you feel wind on your face and something sweet in your mouth. Where someone holds you like you’re the world’s greatest treasure. Where you, like Karmen, feel like you can carry on. Like you can even have snippets of joy. Janice Lynn Mather Read more about Where Was Goodbye here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Where-Was-Goodbye/Janice-Lynn-Mather/9781665903950 Janice Lynn Mather is a Bahamian Canadian author. Her first novel, Learning to Breathe, was a Governor General’s Award finalist, a Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize finalist, shortlisted for the Amy Mathers Teen Book Award, an ALA/YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults selection, an Amelia Bloomer Book List pick, and a Junior Library Guild Selection. Her second novel, Facing the Sun, was an Amy Mathers Teen Book Award winner. Where Was Goodbye? is her third novel for teens. Janice Lynn lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.  Book cover  Today we feature Lisa D. Brathwaite and her new picture book, Miles of Style: Eunice Johnson and the Ebony Fashion Fair, illustrations by Lynn Gaines. KLiC: What was your inspiration for Miles of Style: Eunice Johnson and the Ebony Fashion Fair? LB: My Ebony magazine-impressed childhood, an enchanting museum exhibition about the Ebony Fashion Fair and a first grade fashionista named Kellie who was looking for a Black history book to captivate her inspired me to research and chronicle the stylish life and legacy of Eunice W. Johnson. KLiC: Please tell us about your writing process. What kind of research did you do for your book? How long did it take you to write and sell this book? LB: I started broad research in January 2015. Google Books was a helpful online resource. I gathered a goldmine of information by searching its scanned Ebony magazine issues from the era of my focus. I love research and the more I did, the more deeply I got enamored. That September I learned about the call for submissions from Lee and Low Books for their New Voices Award and decided to get serious about writing. I asked my director for a week off from my job to buckle down and write the original manuscript that evolved into Miles of Style. In that week, bookended by two weekends and three additional nights of prep and polishing, it was done and off to the post office. After receiving word that December I’d won the award and publishing deal, I leaned into more focused research with the refining that comes in the revision process. That led me to inquiries, connections, personal interviews and travel for which I’ll forever be grateful.  KLiC: What are your favorite illustrations in the book? LB: Whew! That’s a tough question, as I love Lynn’s work throughout. The spread with the models majestically coming down the runway depicting the start of the Ebony Fashion Fair “Americana” tour is one of them. I also love Mrs. Johnson at the Parisian fashion house entrance, meeting the resistance of a gatekeeper with resilience and an “Admit One” ticket. She knew as a Black woman once she gained entry, she’d make room and space for others. Finally, I adore the spread with the little girls and their mothers, grandmothers and aunties at the last stop of the tour. There’s a girl in a lilac shirt dress posing with her hand on her hip like an Ebony Fashion Fair model. Lynn had no way of knowing, but this is how I posed and pretended when I was a girl thumbing through the pages of Ebony magazine, so I see Little Lisa in this illustration. I hope children see themselves represented in her beaming beauty too as they go through the book.  KLiC: Do you have any tips for pre-published authors? LB: Join a writers community specific to the genre of your current project and if you’re able, another without a direct correlation, for a slightly different craft influence. Related, go to the movies. Go see live theatre. Go to an art gallery opening. Put yourself in position to absorb storytelling through varying disciplines. Surprising ideas or inspiration may emerge to augment your writing approach. Lastly, ask yourself, “If I had to yield 10 years of my life to bringing this writing project to fruition, would I do it?” If the answer is “No”, choose another subject/topic. You have to love it. Mine took nine years from ideation to publication. It was a road with a lot of curves. I’d still say “Yes”. KLIC: Is there anything you want readers to know about you or your book? LB: Time and again I’ve heard adults say “I was familiar with Ebony magazine, but I had no idea about the Ebony Fashion Fair or Eunice Johnson.” I welcome anyone to learn alongside young readers, and let the discovery spark a self-styled, intergenerational conversation. It’s my humble honor to provide Miles of Style as the vehicle.  Lisa D. Brathwaite is a purveyor of creative self-expression. She loves playing dress-up
(still!), her family, finding herself in art spaces, and writing whatever suits her in a given moment. Miles of Style: Eunice W. Johnson and the EBONY Fashion Fair is her debut children's book. Lisa studied family and community development at the University of Maryland at College Park, graduating with a degree in Community Studies and a concentration in public policy and the Black community. She is a New Jersey native and has been designing her adult life in Atlanta, GA. Find out more at lisadbrathwaite.com To learn more about Lisa, please visit: Website: https://www.lisadbrathwaite.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisa_d_brat/ Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/lisabrathwaite  We are proud to feature member Valerie Bolling on the blog today! Valerie shares her latest early reader book, RAINBOW DAYS: THE ORANGE WALL, illustrated by Kai Robinson. KLiC: What was your inspiration for RAINBOW DAYS: THE ORANGE WALL? VB: I wanted to write a Scholastic Acorn series and needed to come up with an idea that would interest young readers – a book that they’d be excited to read on their own. Since most children enjoy being creative and adore animals, I decided to write about a girl and her pup who enjoy making art together. Once I decided on my characters I had to choose their names. Zoya’s name is a combination of my nieces’ names, Zorah and Anyah. My younger niece, Anyah, loves art, so she’s part of the inspiration for art-loving Zoya. I pictured a brown dog, so Coco seemed like a good name for a pet-friend. (There’s no “a” at the end of Coco’s name because it needs to be spelled in an accessible way for early-readers, which is also why there’s no “h” at the end of Zoya’s name, even though my nieces’ names end with an “h.”) KLiC: What’s the one thing you want children to take away from your book? VB: I want children to make art! Perhaps, if they’re fortunate enough to have their own bedroom, like Zoya, they may choose to give it a makeover, or do something on a smaller scale, such as decorate a notebook, t-shirt, or dessert. All children should see themselves as artists, knowing that with their imagination and some paint, markers, frosting, or whatever they’d like, they can make something fabulous! KLiC: What’s next for you? VB: On June 4, my co-author, Kailei Pew, and I are excited to welcome I SEE COLOR, into the book world. This book is illustrated by Laylie Frazier, edited by Luana Horry, and published by Harper Kids. We’re honored that it has been selected as a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and has received a starred review from Kirkus. If you subscribe to the KidLit in Color blog, you’ll have the opportunity to read an upcoming post about our book. In the meantime, feel free to find out more about this book here.  Valerie Bolling is passionate about creating stories in which all children can see themselves and feel seen and heard, valued and validated. She is the author of six picture books: LET’S DANCE! (SCBWI Crystal Kite Award winner), TOGETHER WE RIDE, TOGETHER WE SWIM (2023 Kirkus Prize Finalist), RIDE, ROLL, RUN: TIME FOR FUN!, BING, BOP, BAM: TIME TO JAM!, and I SEE COLOR (a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection). She also wrote RAINBOW DAYS, a Scholastic Acorn early reader series.
A graduate of Tufts University and Teachers College, Columbia University, Valerie has been an educator for 30 years and is an active member of the kidlit community – teaching picture book classes (independently and for the Highlights Foundation), serving as a mentor, and presenting at conferences. Valerie lives in Connecticut with her husband where they enjoy traveling, hiking, reading, going to the theater, and dancing. Learn more about Valerie: Website: valeriebolling.com Twitter: twitter.com/valerie_bolling Instagram: instagram.com/valeriebollingauthor Facebook: facebook.com/ValerieBollingAuthor Author Visit Information  We're excited to welcome Brentom Jackson to the KLiC blog just in time for Easter. KLiC: What was your inspiration for Elijah’s Easter Suit? BJ: I wanted a character name that represented the human capacity for boldness, innovation, and inventiveness. Elijah McCoy, the engineer and inventor for whom the term “the real McCoy” was coined, came to mind. Applying that attitude to fashion design spurred the idea of “Elijah’s Easter Suit.” KLiC: What are your favorite illustrations by Emmanuel Boateng? BJ: I love the illustration spread on pages 15-16. Elijah connects with his ancestors after discovering a box of old clothing in the closet. This is such a powerful depiction of “Sankofa,” looking at our past so that we may move forward.   KLiC: What’s the one thing you want children to take away from your book? BJ: If you don’t see the things you want in the world (e.g., clothing, shoes, books, movies, games) go out and make them. KLiC: Do you have any tips for pre-published authors? BJ: Focus on deepening your connections in the writing community and developing craft. The rest will come in time. KLiC: What’s next for you? BJ: Deepening my connections in the writing community and continuing to develop my craft.  Brentom Jackson is an award-winning spoken-word artist, classically trained actor, and licensed psychotherapist practicing in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX. With poetic voice, theatrical flair, and socio-emotional expertise Brentom writes stories that explore the universal lessons within Black-American history and heritage. With the hope of inspiring readers from all communities to celebrate their culture and cultivate their creativity.
Elijah’s Easter Suit is published by Random House Children's Books/January 23, 2024
KidLit in Color: Hello Omar, thank you for answering our questions! What was your inspiration for The Book That Almost Rhymed? Omar Abed: When I wrote this book, I was actually pitching a completely different book to publishers. Some of the feedback I heard for that other story was that it "rhymed too much", or that the rhyme didn't enhance the story. My agent recommended I try to write a non-rhyming story, but no matter how hard I tried, my brain kept defaulting to rhyme... or things that sounded like they almost rhymed. This story was born with the opening page repeating in my mind. "The other day, I wrote this book. You won't believe how long it took..." From there, I discovered the plot. It's kind of a backwards writing process, but it worked out here! KLiC: What are your favorite illustrations in the book? OA: I have so many! Hatem Aly did such an amazing job with this book. Something that caught my eye early in the sketching process was how Hatem added imaginary costumes on the characters as see-through overlays. It helped demonstrate how the characters were really traveling through their imaginations. The story starts out kind of bland and explodes into color as their imaginations develop the story around them. I think Hatem did an amazing job capturing that. Here are some illustrations to show what I mean:
OA: You can see how the setting slowly builds around them, and their adorable see-through costumes helping them play pretend. I just thought it was all so well done.
KLiC: What’s the one thing you want children to take away from your book? OA: You said one thing, but I'll give you two. At a surface level, I hope this book helps children discover a love for reading with their parents. I see the way my son latches onto a good book and wants to re-read it, and I hope kids and parents love this book enough that they're both excited to re-read it together. But at a deeper level, I hope this book subtly teaches kids to embrace their siblings / friends in ways that don't come immediately natural to them. In this story, the siblings are in constant conflict over the story, until they realize that maybe both of them were helping the story along in their own way. When we can learn to communicate on another person's level, we can understand them better and empower them. KLiC: What’s next for you? OA: More books! My next book (which hasn't formally been announced yet... shh...) touches on my background as a software developer. In this story, a software bug infects a young boy's book, and the boy (along with a helpful cast of characters) must learn how to stop the bug from destroying his story. No formal timeline yet, but follow me at @OmarAbedWrites for updates. An announcement about that one should go out soon, including the title and illustrator! KLiC: Is there anything you want readers to know about you or your book(s)? I think it's funny that I never planned to write picture books. I enjoyed poetry and music (to a normal degree, like anyone else), but the rhythms and lyrics in each of those somehow led me to children's books. To me, I don't draw hard lines between different writing mediums. It's more of a continuum, a spectrum, than distinct art forms, in my opinion. Who's to say a book can't be sung, or that it needs to have words at all? People are so unique, and their stories should reflect that. Sometimes I have to find the right medium to deliver certain stories, which is why I write across genres (YA, picture book, poetry) and don't consider myself "one type" of author.  We're thrilled to welcome Paola Santos on the blog to discuss her upcoming book, How to Eat a Mango with illustrations by Juliana Perdomo. What was your inspiration for How to Eat a Mango? My inspiration for How to Eat a Mango was my abuelita, my grandmother, and everything it means to return to my roots in Venezuela, the country I was born and raised in. I remember my Abuelita, sitting in the backyard of our house, completely immersed in the experience of eating a mango. Every time she offered me one, I would refuse, but I also remember watching her and wishing I liked them as much as she did. In Venezuela, the matriarchal presence is crucial. Mothers and grandmothers are the center of the home. My Abuelita lived with us. She had a strong character and was always bustling around the house. Abuelita wasn't as sweet as Carmencita's grandmother, the protagonist of my book. Still, every time she ate a mango, it was like watching a poem in motion: her delight, eyes closed enjoying every bite, hands bathed in pulp, her fingers and teeth opening the mango skin. I love that memory! In those days, however, mangoes meant work for me, picking them up when they fell heavily from the tree, breaking and scattering across our yard. The rancid smell of the sun-drenched rotten mangoes was a sensory assault. The ripest ones were squashed, becoming a feast for the bugs waiting for something to eat. But it wasn't all unpleasant. There were moments when I enjoyed watching the come and go of our neighbors, acquaintances, or even some occasional passersby who would take away bags of mangoes. That act of sharing and community has been a memory that has also been imprinted in my mind. Today, mangoes have taken on a different meaning for me. The memories of work or foul smells have been replaced by nostalgias, nostalgia for knowing I won't enjoy those moments with my abuelita again, and the nostalgia for knowing that perhaps I won't be able to return to my country and see it prosperous and full of dreams like in the memories of my childhood.  Please tell us about your writing process. How long did it take you to write and sell this book? I had never thought about this! First, I daydream and search through the nooks of my memory and emotions for what filled me and made me reflect when I was a child. After that, I crawl under my sheets and write in my notebook. I let the words come to me in an endless mix of Spanglish without looking at grammar or spelling rules. I let out, first, what I remember and then loose ideas that could serve as the foundation of a story. This part is very intuitive. When I finally have a picture of the structure and the beginning/end of the story, it's time to go to my computer. There, I shake off my ideas, remove the excess, and write them down. Ready to subject them to a long rewriting process that varies with each story. In this process, I evaluate the technical aspects, the rhythm, and the musicality (which I love to apply to my manuscripts) and the layers that can add depth. After that, I rely on the help of my fabulous critique partners, who help me see things that have gone unnoticed. Then comes the best part, working with my agent in a back-and-forth of ideas that bring out the best in each of my words. Phew, it's a long process, which tires me out just writing about it. "How to Eat a Mango" was four years in the making, from the initial idea to its publication, which is slowly approaching! The moment that helped me find this memory was in 2021, during Tara Lazar's Storystorm, which I'm sure most of you are familiar with. That specific exercise was about exploring How-to's. Immediately, the image of my abuelita eating a mango came to mind, and I couldn't let it go. Right away, I started working on it, dedicating approximately a year to the process I described above until my agent and I considered it ready and started the submission process. The waiting period after that varies from one manuscript to another. With "How to Eat a Mango," I consider myself lucky. In 2022, a month after starting the submission process, Neal Porter Books made me an offer. The book will finally be released on July 16, 2024. This year! I cannot wait to see it out in the world and connect with readers. I hope you enjoy reading it! What are your favorite illustrations in the book? All of them are my favorites! Now, if I had to choose, I would choose the moment when Abuelita speaks to Carmencita about the sensation of tasting a mango. The first time I saw this illustration by the talented Juliana Perdomo, I cried. Seeing the joropo, the national dance of Venezuela, I felt the same as Carmencita. My heart seemed to beat with the stomping, the movements of the skirts, the sounds of the cuatro and maracas. It was an indescribable experience. But what moved me the most was how well the emotions of my words were conveyed in it. The music, the sweetness, and the culture are palpable in this spread. What’s the one thing you want children to take away from your book? I hope they take away a deep sense of respect toward nature and family and how they connect with every aspect of our lives. With this story, I wish young readers would slow down, pay attention to their surroundings, and treasure the moments that make their lives unique and fantastic. My goal with this book is to build a bridge between these moments and the present so they can create future memories.  Paola Santos is a children's book author born and raised in Venezuela. After moving to Canada, she found the courage to share the words and stories that had long been enclosed in her imagination. Her stories are now woven with her culture, experience in a new country, hope, happiness, and diversity. Paola holds a bachelor's and a master's degree in Literature and Children's Literature and Reading Promotion. Her debut picture book, How to Eat a Mango (Holiday House), illustrated by Juliana Perdomo, will be released on July 16, 2024.
You can learn more about Paola here. Twitter & Instagram: @pgsantosb. To preorder How to Eat a Mango visit here. Interior from How to Eat a Mango. Text copyright © 2024 by Paola Santos. Illustrations copyright © 2024 by Juliana Perdomo. Reproduced with permission from Holiday House Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.  I never imagined I would be a children’s book author. But when I became a mother of two little girls, I admired how fun and whimsical the holidays were here in the United States. The stories of Santa and his elves make you want to be a kid all over again! Unfortunately, I couldn’t find an engaging tale to read to my kids about any of the Muslim holidays we celebrate. This motivated me to write my first book. “Looking for the Eid Moon” draws upon an old Muslim tradition: the sighting of the crescent moon. Because Muslims follow the lunar calendar, they rely on the moon's shape to mark important holidays and dates. One night, the crescent moon signals the arrival of Eid al-Fitr (a holiday that celebrates the end of fast) and one night, it signals a ten-day countdown to Eid al-Adha (a holiday that celebrates the end of pilgrimage). To make the holidays special, my family adopted this tradition. And every Eid, we would take our girls on a little quest to find the moon. But the crescent moon is hard to spot, that is why there are moon sighting committees that look for it. And so, just like Sara, the protagonist of this story, I started placing our very own glow-in-the-dark “moon rocks” around the house and backyard for our girls to find. Each rock is filled with coins because, during Eid, children are gifted money so they can get a toy they really want. We found our “moon-rock hunts” to be a fun alternative for children who are too young to understand the value of money notes and bills and a great way to keep their spirits high when they fail to spot the moon. Regardless of our backgrounds and faiths, as parents, we all hope our children will have a happy and memorable childhood they can look back on for many years to come. We strive to raise strong and confident individuals who can withstand the challenges that life throws their way. That is why it is important for all children to see themselves in fun, light-hearted stories filled with hope. Stories in which a protagonist who looks like them is the hero of an exciting adventure, not a victim struggling to fit in. In “Looking for the Eid Moon,” the moon is not only a religious symbol. It is also a reminder that even in our darkest moments, we must be brave and search for that glimmer of hope. And how much like the moon, we must be a source of light for others, too.  Sahtinay Abaza grew up in the United Arab Emirates before making Florida her permanent home. As a mother of two, she admired how fun and whimsical the holidays are in the United States. This motivated her to write her first picture book about the holiday her family celebrates, Eid. Inspired by her own family tradition, Looking for the Eid Moon is meant to transform the uncertainty of when Eid will fall into a quest to find the moon, in both a fun and endearing way. This story won the 2019 SCBWI Emerging Voices Award and inspired Sahtinay to write more children’s books.   What was your inspiration for Dear Muslim Child?
Sometime in 2018 or 2019, I wrote a manuscript titled "Dear Black Child," and shortly after, I wrote the first iteration of "Dear Muslim Child." Both of these manuscripts were love letters I wrote watching my children. It came from a deep need to affirm their identity as Black Muslim children. Please tell us about your writing process. How long did it take you to write and sell this book? My publishing journey began as a self-published author, and I thought I would self-publish Dear Muslim Child one day, so I kept working on the manuscript for years. This book took so long to get right because I was so afraid to write something that would fall short of the goal of motivating and affirming Muslim children. It was also intimidating because I wanted to write about Islam and faith in the most precious and loving way. And so I kept returning to this manuscript repeatedly, never feeling it was ready. Then, in 2020, I signed a two-book deal with HarperCollins, and I was grateful to finally bring both these books to life with the help of my amazing editors. What are your favorite illustrations in the book? Ahh, it's such a hard question! Aya did a phenomenal job, and each page is stunning. But if I had to pick one, I would say the spread about the hijab. I was in awe of how Aya decided to draw all the different ways women observe the hijab. I was also glad it included a niqabi woman because this is seldom represented. What's the one thing you want children to take away from your book? I hope each child who reads Dear Muslim Child feels the warm embrace tucked inside each of the lines of the book. I want them to be proud of who they are, even when it's hard sometimes. Dear Muslim Child is a call to practice your faith out loud and with pride. And to the adults reading this to their children, I pray these words heal parts of your inner child who needed to hear these words. Do you have any tips for pre-published authors? Believe in your story and keep writing even when it's been months and years. It's ok to come to put some manuscripts aside while you continue to grow and learn. My biggest takeaway is that it takes time, and it's hard to wait for your moment, but if you keep walking towards that dream one day, it will be yours. Keep investing in your craft and immerse yourself in the writing community wherever you are. What's next for you? I am working on more picture books and dabbling in the world of novels in verse, which I have fallen in love with recently. I hope to be back with more book news and book celebration! *****************************************************************************************Dear Muslim Child By Rahma Rodaah, illustrated by Aya Ghanameh 9780063091993 / $19.99 hardcover On sale: February 6, 2024 Ages 4-8 / Grades pre-3 Balzer + Bray / HarperCollins DESCRIPTION:“A heartfelt love letter urging Muslim children everywhere to courageously embrace the tenets of their faith. . . . Nurturing, encouraging, and necessary.”--Kirkus Reviews From the author of Dear Black Child, this is a love letter to Muslim children that celebrates their faith and encourages them to take their rightful space in the world. Dear Muslim child, Do you know the meaning of Nur? Nur means light. Allah is light upon light. Keep walking toward that light. Gentle lyrical text and engaging illustrations depicting children and adults from a wide variety of ethnicities grace this joyful testament to the tenets of Islam and to each child’s worth and value. BIO:Rahma Rodaah was born and raised in Hargeisa, Somaliland. At the age of eight, her family immigrated to Canada where she still resides today. She is a mother of four children and enjoys reading and coming up with silly bedtime stories. She is also the author of two self-published picture books and firmly believes that children need to be able to identify themselves in the books they read. You can visit her online at rahmarodaah.com. SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram: Balzer + Bray/Harper: @harperids Rahma Rodaah: @rahmarodaah Facebook: Balzer + Bray/Harper: HarperKidsBooks Rahma Rodaah: Rahma Rodaah Twitter/X: Balzer + Bray/Harper: HarperKids Rahma Rodaah: @RahmaRodaah Threads: Balzer + Bray/Harper: @harperkids Rahma Roddaah: @rahmarodaah |
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