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Hey You! by Dapo Adeola with illustrations by Alyissa Johnson, Sharee Miller, Jade Orlando, Diane Ewen, Reggie Brown, Onyinye Iwu, Chante Timothy, Gladys Jose, Bex Glendining, Joelle Avelino, Dunni Mustapha, Nicole Miles, Charlot Kristensen, Kingsley Nebechi, Camilla Sucre, Derick Brooks, Jobe Anderson & Selom Sunu

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 10 Jun 2021

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View an extract…

A lyrical and inspirational exploration of growing up black, written by Dapo Adeola, and brought to life by some of the most exciting black illustrators working today.

Remember to dream your own dreams
Love your beautiful skin
You always have a choice

To mirror the rich variety of the black diaspora, this book showcases artwork from Dapo and 18 contemporary black illustrators (listed below) in one  powerful,= and cohesive reading experience.

Alyissa Johnson
Sharee Miller
Jade Orlando
Diane Ewen
Reggie Brown
Onyinye Iwu
Chanté Timothy
Gladys Jose
Bex Glendining
Joelle Avelino
Dunni Mustapha
Nicole Miles
Charlot Christensen
Kingsley Nebechi
Camilla Sucre
Derick Brooks
Jobe Anderson
Selom Sunu

Dapo was one of the first guests in ACHUKA’s weekend Meet An Illustrator feature.
https://www.achuka.co.uk/blog/meet-an-illustrator-4-dapo/

 

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Ace of Spades by Faridah Abike-Iyimide

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A compelling, incendiary, and unputdownable thriller with a shocking twist, Faridah Abike-Iyimide delves deep into the heart of institutionalized racism with this compulsive debut.

Hello, Niveus High. It’s me. Who am I? That’s not important. All you need to know is…I’m here to divide and conquer. – Aces

Welcome to Niveus Private Academy, where money paves the hallways, and the students are never less than perfect. Until now. Because anonymous texter, Aces, is bringing two students’ dark secrets to light.

Talented musician Devon buries himself in rehearsals, but he can’t escape the spotlight when his private photos go public. Head girl Chiamaka isn’t afraid to get what she wants, but soon everyone will know the price she has paid for power.

Someone is out to get them both. Someone who holds all the aces. And they’re planning much more than a high-school game…

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

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A revelatory YA novel about a transgender teen grappling with identity and self-discovery while falling in love for the first time.

Felix Love has never been in love – and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalisation too many – Black, queer and transgender – to ever get his own happily-ever-after.

When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages – after publicly posting Felix’s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned – Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi-love triangle …

But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself. Felix Ever After is an honest and layered story about identity, falling in love, and recognising the love you deserve.

Oona by Kelly DiPucchio ill. Raissa Figueroa

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“Oona is an adorable protagonist, with her dark skin, enormous Afro, and striped, orange tail. With her ups and downs and her fundamental ebullience, she will easily win fans… messages of persistence and of valuing the work of one’s own creation are strong and effective.” KIRKUS

Oona and her best friend Otto love to search for treasure…and often find trouble instead. Messy trouble. Tricky trouble. Even shark-related trouble. That’s never stopped them before, though! After all, no proper treasure hunt is without some adventure. But when the grandest treasure yet is stuck in a deep, dark rift, Oona’s not sure if she can dive right in. What might be waiting for her in those unknown waters?

Follow the illustrator on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rizzyfig/

I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes ill. Gordon C James

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 17 Feb 2021

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“The poetic text, full of imagery is perfectly matched by the warmth of the vibrant, painterly illustrations. Joyful and at times poignant this is an aspirational, motivational and moving celebration of black boyhood.” BfK 5 STAR review

“Gordon C James’s painted portraits brim with spirit and dignity. The result is a truly special book by an American author-illustrator duo at the top of their game…” GUARDIAN

“Barnes and James provide us with a range of powerful, positive names to call Black boys as they urge us to see them, to love them, and to let them live their lives as they deserve….” Horn Book

Selected by Oprah Magazine as one of its ‘essential books for discussing racism with kids’.

I am a non-stop ball of energy.
Powerful and full of light.
I am a go-getter. A difference-maker. A leader.

Step inside the mind of the confident narrator of this book! He is proud of everything that makes him who he is. He’s got big plans, and will see them through. He’s creative, adventurous, smart, funny. A good friend. A superhero. Sometimes he falls, but he always gets back up. And other times he’s afraid, because he’s often misunderstood. So, slow down, look and listen as he shows you who he really is …

Follow Derrick Barnes on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorderrickdbarnes/
Follow Gordon C. James on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gordoncjamesfineart/

Black and British: A short, essential history by David Olusoga

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ACHUKA Book of the day 28 Oct 2020

A short, essential introduction to Black British history by award-winning historian and broadcaster David Olusoga. Based on the author’s ‘groundbreaking’ adult title Black and British: A Forgotten History.

Revised and rewritten for younger readers, Olusoga’s insightful and invaluable history of the Black experience in the British Isles ranges from forgotten Africans in the Roman legions to the multicultural society of the present day.

When did Africans first come to Britain?
Who are the well-dressed black children in Georgian paintings?
Why did the American Civil War disrupt the Industrial Revolution?

These and many other questions are answered in this essential introduction to 1800 years of the Black British history: from the Roman Africans who guarded Hadrian’s Wall right up to the present day.
This children’s version of the bestseller Black and British: A Forgotten History is illustrated with maps, photos and portraits.
Macmillan Children’s Books will donate 50p from every copy sold to The Black Curriculum.

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Children’s books only cater for white people, authors say – Mirror Online

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Of over 3,200 children’s books published in 2013, only 93 were about black people, a study reveals.

The data from the US shows that 2.9% of books checked were about black people, a startling statistic when you consider over 12% of America’s population is black.

via Children's books only cater for white people, authors say – Mirror Online.

The Pain of the Watermelon Joke by Jacqueline Woodson

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Having kept her silence in the immediate aftermath of the National Book Awards, Jacqueline Woodson (in a dignified piece written for the New York Times) finally gave her response to Daniel Handler’s remarks:

New York Times

As I walked away from the stage to a standing ovation after my acceptance speech, it was the last place in the world I thought I’d hear the watermelon joke — directed by the M.C., Daniel Handler, at me. “Jackie’s allergic to watermelon,” he said. “Just let that sink in your mind.” Daniel and I have been friends for years. Last summer, at his home on Cape Cod, he served watermelon soup and I let him know I was allergic to the fruit. I was astonished when he brought this up before the National Book Award audience — in the form of a wink-nudge joke about being black.
In a few short words, the audience and I were asked to take a step back from everything I’ve ever written, a step back from the power and meaning of the National Book Award, lest we forget, lest I forget, where I came from. By making light of that deep and troubled history, he showed that he believed we were at a point where we could laugh about it all. His historical context, unlike my own, came from a place of ignorance.

via The Pain of the Watermelon Joke – NYTimes.com.

Jacqueline Woodson Will Comment Later

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Jacqueline Woodson was already the author of 28 children’s books, most of them award-winning, when her Brown Girl Dreaming won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature last week. She is a three-time recipient of Newbery Honors, and she’d been nominated for the NBA before. Her achievement, however, was swiftly eclipsed by coverage of the racist joke that Daniel Handler, aka Lemony Snicket, made after she got off the stage. In a phone interview with the Guardian she declined to comment on the firestorm, though she also said she will, eventually. “I’m trying to figure out how to think about it,” she said.

via Jacqueline Woodson: 'I don't want anyone to feel invisible' | Books | theguardian.com.

Malorie Blackman: “Children’s books still have a long way to go before they are truly diverse.”

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“I once had a bookseller tell me, ‘Your books are just for black children and we don’t have that many black children in this area,'” Malorie Blackman says.

She’s serious. It’s serious. We’re silent; then she laughs, quickly. “I haven’t had this said to me in quite some time,” she says, “but we still have a way to go in this country to diversify books. And that isn’t just for books, that’s films and TV, too.”

via Malorie Blackman: “Children’s books still have a long way to go before they are truly diverse.” | Children’s books | theguardian.com.