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| July 2020 |
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| Hello and happy summer! Well …. it’s a different world now, isn’t it? As we all struggle to deal with the global pandemic and the necessary work of coming together as a nation regardless of race, gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation, we look to art, music and literature and science to guide us forward. The children’s literature community is central to this mission and I’ve never been prouder to be a part of it. While we're distance learning, here are some remote learning resources. And now, here’s some news …. |
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| Coming in October! |
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Above the Rim: How Elgin Baylor Changed Basketball, illustrated by Frank Morrison and published by Abrams Books for Young Readers is now available for pre-order. The book tells about the life of the NBA’s most under-rated player and is a celebration of Baylor’s one-man protest against racial discrimination in the League’s early days.
Thanks to the good folks at Abrams, you can enjoy the first part of our book here. If you remember watching Elgin play, you can relive those moments here. And if you have never heard of Elgin Baylor, you can read more about him here.
There will be more to come on this title, which has been in the works for several years, but which has never seemed timelier. It’s the story of how one man changed the way basketball was played and showed us that our common humanity is what unites us. If you’d like to pre-order Above the Rim, please consider supporting your local bookseller here. |
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| One of Frank Morrison's illustrations for Above the Rim: How Elgin Baylor Changed Basketball |
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| How do you Feed Your Mind? |
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Did you hear that August Wilson—along with Laura Linney, Sarah Paulsen, Luciano Pavarotti and Jenifer Lewis—will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?
Seven months since the publication of Feed Your Mind—A Story of August Wilson, we remain grateful and humbled by the messages we receive from young readers, educators, librarians and parents. “This is the most hopeful book I’ve ever read,” one teacher said. A young reader told us “I didn’t know you could write down what people say and make it a play!” Newspaper reporters asked interesting questions and TV interviewers did, too.
Illustrator Cannaday Chapman continues to do amazing work, which you can see here. And so does the Daisy Wilson Artist Community, a Pittsburgh-based non-profit dedicated to restoring the August Wilson House and to creating a vibrant arts exhibition and programming space. Last October, the August Wilson House received a half million dollar grant from the federal government to help restore the playwright’s birthplace.
In celebration of Wilson’s resilience and his dedication to lifting up the voices in his community, we are offering a signed book copy and signed poster in this contest. |
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Historical marker in front of August Wilson's childhood home |
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Cannaday Chapman's illustration of Jitney Station from Feed Your Mind |
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| Karen Blumenthal |
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 The children’s literature community lost one of its smartest and most generous spirits this May. Karen was an editor, author, wife, mother, friend and remarkable human being.
Along with other kidlit colleagues, I’ll be posting information about a future tribute to Karen on social media.
Until then, you can honor Karen by reading her wonderful and important books. |
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| Beat Back Summer Slump |
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| During author visits, I confess that I was not a fan of history class in school. But, when I began to read well-written historical fiction and biographies, everything changed. This summer, anyone can have fun while learning history through story, as suggested in Lesley Roessing’s great post on Dr. Bickmore’s blog. |
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Thanks for reading and subscribing to Flying Tidings!
Stay up to date by following me on Facebook, Instagram, or by emailing me. Stay safe and well until the next issue. |
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