Keith Mallett – illustratör

A long overdue book that lyrically celebrates and teaches positive associations with two of the most important colors on Earth, black and brown. Have you ever paused to savor the power and beauty of brown and black? Brown is strong as a tree and sweet as honey in tea; black is the hopeful promise of a seed and the grace of a bird in flight... and the quiet space where dreams begin.In this groundbreaking picture book, poetic text and lush imagery celebrates two essential colors that capture all the richness and depth life, love, and the natural world have to offer.

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us.Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us.In 1900, in Jacksonville, Florida, two brothers, one of them the principal of a segregated, all-black school, wrote the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing” so his students could sing it for a tribute to Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. From that moment on, the song has provided inspiration and solace for generations of Black families. Mothers and fathers passed it on to their children who sang it to their children and grandchildren. It has been sung during major moments of the Civil Rights Movement and at family gatherings and college graduations.Inspired by this song’s enduring significance, Kelly Starling Lyons and Keith Mallett tell a story about the generations of families who gained hope and strength from the song’s inspiring words.

Agnes can hardly contain her excitement! She’s headed to the March on Washington. Sitting on her father’s shoulders, she’s awed by the sea of people—people of every colour, gathered together to be a part of the fight for equal rights for Black people. She soaks in the words of John Lewis and Josephine Baker and is mesmerised by Mahalia Jackson’s singing. Then Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gives a speech about his dreams for his children—for all children. On the bus ride home, Agnes has her own dream: that the words of Dr. King would be heard and embraced by the whole world.

A young Black boy dreams of dancing in this exuberant, buoyant picture book celebrating the beauty of dance, and the wonder of Black Boy Joy—perfect for fans of Firebird and Crown!Langston likes basketball okay, but what he loves is to dance—ever since he saw the Alvin Ailey Dance Company perform. He longs to twirl into a pirouette, whirl into a piqué. He wants to arabesque and attitude, grand battement and grand jeté. When he walks, the whole street is his stage. With his neighborhood cheering him on, will Langston achieve his dream?