Authors Launch Brown Bookshelf

By John Sellers, Children's Bookshelf -- Publishers Weekly, 11/8/2007

Five authors have banded together to create The Brown Bookshelf, an online community dedicated to promoting children’s fiction by African-American authors and illustrators. The group, which launched November 1, is the brainchild of authors Paula Chase Hyman (the Del Rio Bay Clique series, Kensington) and Varian Johnson (Red Polka Dot in a World Full of Plaid, Genesis Press), who “met” via online author message boards.

Hyman believes that consumers aren’t always aware of the broad range of fiction available. She says she first started writing, in part, because she didn’t see a lot of popular fiction for young black readers. “There has always been a lot of literary fiction, historical fiction or what I call inspirational stories—perhaps a problem novel or [a book] where they’re trying to give a lesson,” she says. “I didn’t see anything more lighthearted.”

Johnson and Hyman hit upon the idea of promoting deserving children’s books back in September and recruited three fellow authors and illustrators to help. The group’s first project is a February promotion called 28 Days Later, inspired by Readergirlz’ recent 31 Flavorites promotion (and borrowing its name from the 2002 zombie movie). Each day during the month, a different African-American children’s book author or illustrator will be profiled on the Brown Bookshelf Web site. The group is accepting nominations of potential authors and illustrators to profile through December 1, after which the Brown Bookshelf members will decide who to feature. “We will have novels, middle grade and picture books,” says Johnson. “Some are heavy, some are light—maybe some science fiction too. [We want books] people might not have been aware of.”

And because 2008 is a leap year, the group plans to celebrate the end of the project on February 29. “There will be giveaways throughout the month,” says Johnson, “but on [the 29th] we’ll have a large giveaway—a basket with all of the books we feature.” The books will be donated to the library of the winner’s choice. “We’re hoping that [28 Days Later] will have a profound impact on those who recommend books to young readers,” says Hyman. Nomination guidelines are available on the group’s Web site.