Though they are rarely recognized with merit awards,  licensed content books are hugely popular and often timely—addressing social-emotional issues and, lately, concerns related to the pandemic—and the comfort of familiar TV and movie characters has strong appeal for beginning readers.

From viral video hit series to book deal to young reader's edition, Emmanuel Acho's Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man is doing well. I have a comfortable Q&A with him about the last of these.

The post Unconventional Conversations with a Black Author: Emmanuel Acho Discusses His Young Reader’s Edition appeared first on A Fuse #8 Production.

"I feel like our two most recent books both have a bit of resonance with the pandemic." I talk with Eric & Terry Fan about their latest book, its antecedents, and maybe its larger implications too.

The post It Fell From the Sky: An Interview with The Fan Brothers appeared first on A Fuse #8 Production.

From robots to Rube Goldberg machines to cosplay costumes, kids of all ages—and their grown-ups—will find plenty of inspiration in these works. 

These picture books, with their exuberant illustrations and positive prose, offer portraits of Black joy, within and beyond the African diaspora.

History, science, current events, and social sciences are explored in these highly engaging narrative and expository nonfiction texts for middle grade readers. 

These YA sci-fi and fantasy titles offer up magical worlds, and new ways of looking at our own.

From intimate memoirs to gripping accounts of history to fantastical tales that take teens out of this world, these graphic novels will mesmerize readers.

Motivated by the lack of diversity in the books she saw in Little Free Libraries in her Massachusetts hometown, Sarah Kamya set out to add titles by and about Black and brown people to the boxes. Soon she was creating Little Free Diverse Libraries, getting national attention, and setting goals for this project that will continue beyond the pandemic.