A Child’s Book of Prayers and Blessings, Illus. by Shadra Strickland, Released Today

October 10, 2017

A Child’s Book of Prayers and Blessings: From Faiths and Cultures Around the World, written by Deloris Jordan and illustrated by Shadra Strickland, is now available for purchase!

This beautifully illustrated picture book is filled with multicultural prayers and blessings. Featuring traditional blessings and prayers from a variety of religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism, this inclusive book encourages peace in children.

A Child’s Book of Prayers and Blessings is available for purchase here.

10 Books Illustrated by PW Artists On Bank Street College’s Best Children’s Books of the Year List

June 4, 2018

Congratulations to the following Painted Words artists/authors whose books were included in Bank Street College’s Best Children’s Books of the Year 2018 List:

Frank Morrison – One Last Word, Clayton Byrd Goes Underground
Ashley Spires – The Thing Lou Couldn’t Do, Mae and June and the Wonder Wheel
Vanessa Brantley-Newton – The Youngest Marcher
Fabricio VandenBroeck – Thirsty, Thirsty Elephants
Gabrielle Grimard – Stolen Words
Elise Gravel – Olga and the Smelly Thing from Nowhere
Mircea Catusanu – Noah Webster’s Fighting Words
Elizabeth Zunon – One Last Word, The Legendary Miss Lena Horne

One Last Word: Wisdom From the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes with illustrations from 15 artists including Frank Morrison and Elizabeth Zunon was the recipient of the Claudia Lewis Award for the best poetry book of the year for young readers, while The Youngest Marcher illustrated by Vanessa B. Newton, Clayton Byrd Goes Underground illustrated by Frank Morrison, and The Legendary Miss Lena Horne illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon, were each recognized for Outstanding Merit. You can view the full list of books here.

Three Books From Our Artists/Authors Featured on the Children’s Choices 2018 Reading List

May 11, 2018

Congratulations to Gerald Kelley, Josée Masse, and Frank Morrison, who each illustrated a book that appears on the Children’s Choices 2018 Reading List. This list is compiled based off of votes by 12,500 school children from all around the country, with the books being chosen from more than 800 titles. The list is designed for use by “anyone who wish to encourage young people to read for pleasure,” and is cosponsored by the International Literary Association and the Children’s Book Council. Kelley’s Please Please the Bees, Masse’s Thunder Underground and Morrison’s Clayton Byrd Goes Underground all appear on the list, with Thunder Underground being a finalist for the Children’s Choice Book Awards.

Find the complete Children’s Choices 2018 Reading List here.

Clayton Byrd Goes Underground illus. by Frank Morrison wins NAACP Image Award!

January 16, 2017

Congratulations to Frank Morrison, who illustrated the 2018 NAACP Image Award winning book Clayton Byrd Goes Underground! The award was given for “Outstanding Literary Work” in the Youth/Teens category.

You can find a complete list of NAACP Image Award winners here.

Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best Books 2017 Includes Seven Books from Our Artists

November 29, 2017

The end of the year is approaching at last. That means it’s time for best books of the year lists! The latest one is from the Chicago Public Library, and their list of recommendations includes seven books from our Painted Words authors and illustrators!

Best Picture Books 2017:

• Lucía the Luchadora, written by Cynthia Leonor Garza and illustrated by Alyssa Bermudez

Best Fiction for Younger Readers 2017:

• Olga and the Smelly Thing from Nowhere by Elise Gravel

Best Informational Books for Younger Readers 2017:

• The Legendary Miss Lena Horne, written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Eizabeth Zunon
• Lost and Found Cat: The True Story of Kunkush’s Incredible Journey, written by Doug Kuntz and Amy Shrodes and illustrated by Sue Cornelison
• The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist, written by Cynthia Levinson and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton

Best Fiction for Older Readers 2017:

• Clayton Byrd Goes Underground, written by Rita Williams-Garcia and illustrated by Frank Morrison

Best Informational Books for Older Readers 2017:

• One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance, written by Nikki Grimes and with illustrations contributed by Shadra Strickland, Frank Morrison, and Liz Zunon

Congratulations to all our talented authors and artists! The CPL’s full list of recommended books from 2017 is available here.

Vanessa Brantley Newton and Frank Morrison Nominated for NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Literary Works

November 21, 2017

The 49th NAACP Image Awards are coming soon. The NAACP Image Award is an awards ceremony to honor the work of artists of color in genres spanning cinema, music, and literature, held each year on MLK’s birthday. This year, two books illustrated by Painted Words’s artists have been nominated!

In the “Outstanding Literary Work – Children” category is The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, A Young Civil Rights Activist, written by Cynthia Levinson and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton. In the “Outstanding Literary Work – Youth/Teens” is Clayton Byrd Goes Underground written by Rita Williams-Garcia and illustrated by Frank Morrison. Congratulations!

The full list of nominees for the NAACP Image Award is available here. The Youngest Marcher can be purchased here and Clayton Byrd Goes Underground is available for purchase here.

Clayton Byrd Goes Underground, by Rita Williams-Garcia and Illus. by Frank Morrison, Nominated for National Book Award

October 6, 2017

Every year since 1950, a select group of books wins the National Book Award. This prestigious award is given to the best books of the year in fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and children’s literature categories. This year’s nominees for the awards have been announced, with five potential winners in each category.

In the children’s literature category, Clayton Byrd Goes Underground was one of the nominees. Clayton Byrd was written by Rita Williams-Garcia and the cover was illustrated by Frank Morrison. This bittersweet book for young readers tells the story of a boy’s attempts to cope with the loss of his grandfather through music. Congratulations to Rita and Frank for their nomination!

The full list of nominees for the National Book Award can be found here. Clayton Byrd Goes Underground is available for purchase here.

Kirkus Starred Review for A Night Out with Mama by Quvenzhané Wallis and Illus. by Vanessa B Newton

October 4, 2017

Released yesterday, A Night Out with Mama is the new picture book from Academy Award nominated actress Quvenzhané Wallis and illustrator Vanessa Brantley Newton. This stylish story tells of the night of the Academy Awards themselves and Wallis’s excitement over dressing up beautifully and going out with her mother.

Kirkus recently reviewed this charming new book and gave it a starred review. Kirkus praises the exciting and unique true story. As they observe, few actresses of color, let alone ones under ten, have the chance to experience and tell a story like this! Kirkus also praises Vanessa’s illustrations, writing, “Expressively illustrated with Brantley-Newton’s characteristically upbeat illustrations, the book exudes positivity.”

Kirkus’s full starred review is available here. A Night Out with Mama is now available for purchase and can be ordered online here.