Coming on Home Soon
Ilustrated by EB Lewis
It is wartime, and women have to go to work while the men are off fighting. Ada Ruth's mama has a job in Chicago and she must leave Ada Ruth and Grandma behind for a while.
Where it takes place:
Somewhere in the midwest during World War II
Where I wrote it:
At home in Brooklyn and at my house in Olive, New York
Why I wrote it:
I had been reading stories about Rosie the Riveter and couldn’t find any with African American women in them so I started researching. With the small amount of information I gathered, I began to write this book.
We Had A Picnic This Sunday Past
Illustrated by Diane Greenseid
Teeka and her grandmother go to the family picnic and boy! aren’t the others who come something to talk about!!
Where it takes place:
In Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York
Where I wrote it:
In the Park Slope section of Brooklyn, New York
Why I wrote it:
To let myself remember how delicious picnics can be. (And to keep my promise of putting my niece, Teeka, in a book.)
The Other Side
Illustrated by E.B. Lewis
Two girls, Clover and Annie, become friends in a small, segregated town.
Where it takes place:
In a small rural town—I didn’t have a specific state in mind.
Where I wrote it:
Upstate in Olive, New York and at The Writer’s Room in Manhattan
Why I wrote it:
I wanted to write about how powerful kids can be. Clover and Annie fight against segregation by becoming friends. They don’t believe in the ideas adults have about things so they do what they can to change the world. We all have this power.
Sweet, Sweet Memory
Illustrated by Floyd Cooper
Sarah’s grandfather was a gardener. When he dies, he lives behind his beliefs about the world and a harvest to help her remember him and know that the circle of life goes on and on.
Where it takes place:
I wanted it to be set somewhere in South Carolina
Where I wrote it:
At home in Brooklyn
Why I wrote it:
I wrote this book in memory of my grandfather, Ganaar, who was a gardener. Whenever I see beautiful gardens filled with vegetables or flowers, I think of him.
Our Gracie Aunt
Illustrated by Jon Muth
Johnson and his sister Beebee have to take care of themselves after their mother leaves. Then they’re moved to the Aunt Gracie’s house and things start getting better.
Where it takes place:
In a city I do not name
Where I wrote it:
In my house in Brooklyn and on Whidbey Island off the coast of Seattle, Washington
Why I wrote it:
There are so many kids in foster care or living with relatives who are not their moms or dads. There are all kinds of families in the world and I wanted to write a book about this. What makes a family isn’t about who you live with but how much they love you.
Visiting Day
Illustrated by James Ransome
A young girl looks forward to the day she gets to go visit her father. It only happens once a month and it’s a very special day.
My younger brother and I visiting my Uncle Robert on Visiting Day
Where it takes place:
In Brooklyn and in someplace north of New York City.
Where I wrote it:
In Brooklyn and at The Madowell Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire.
Why I wrote it:
Because once a month when I was a little girl, I would go upstate and visit my favorite uncle. I remember those days well and wanted to write about them. This book isn’t completely autobiographical but there is a lot of me in it.
Show Way
Illustrated by Hudson Talbott
This is the first time I’ve written a book based on some of my own family history. ’Show Ways”, or quilts, once served as secret maps for freedom-seeking slaves. This is the story of seven generations of girls and women who were quilters and artists and freedom fighters.
Where it takes place:
It begins in Virginia and ends right here in Brooklyn.
Where I wrote it:
The story began in my grandmother’s living room in the Bushwick section of Broolyn. I wrote it here in Park Slope, Brooklyn mostly.
Why I wrote it:
After my grandmother died and my daughter was born, I wanted to figure out a way to hold on to all the amazing history in our family. I wanted a Show Way for my own daughter.