Description:
Junteenth Celebration
Named to Bank Street College of Education's prestigious 2016 Best Children's Books of the Year with a star for outstanding merit.
Named to Bayviews Outstanding List (online journal for the Association of Children's Librarians of Northern California (ACL))
2017 Skipping Stones Honor Book
After being sent to bed early the previous night, Melena wakes up to a new day with a song in her heart.
Brief description: Born in Canada, Zetta Elliott (Brooklyn, NY) moved to the US in 1994 to pursue her PhD in American Studies at NYU. Her poetry has been published in several anthologies, and her plays have been staged in New York, Chicago, and Cleveland. Her essays have appeared in The Huffington Post, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. She is the author of more than twenty books for young readers, including the award-winning picture book Bird. Her urban fantasy novel Ship of Souls was named a Booklist Top Ten Sci-fi/Fantasy Title for Youth. Three books published under her own imprint, Rosetta Press, have been named Best Children's Books of the Year by the Bank Street Center for Children's Literature. Elliott is an advocate for greater diversity and equity in publishing.
Review Quotes: Elliott (Bird) weaves a contemplative and thought-provoking story of new beginnings as a brown-skinned girl named Melena wakes up "with a song in my heart." ...Befitting the sense of grace that Melena clings to, Boyd's (Luigi and the Barefoot Races) vibrant mixed-media images evoke the heft and poise of stained glass windows, whether showing Melena and her elders picking garden vegetables or the girl and her friends perched on the jungle gym, gazing at swirling clouds. An extensive author's note delves into the historical concept of jubilee and ties the book's messages to grassroots activism, social justice, and community self-improvement. Ages 4-10. (Oct.)-- "PW"