A Few Quick Updates:

For my 2023 One Little Word, I selected SPACE. Click here to see the quilt I created out of (16) blocks I stitched for words from each year since 2006.

AFRICAN TOWN is now available in paperback! It's also been recognized by the following award committees:

YALSA 2023 Best Fiction for Young Adults

CBC National Council on Social Studies 2023 Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People

...and just announced TODAY... it's been named the winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction!

Friends, I used to go to the library specifically in search of O'Dell Award winning books. And now that seal and my name are on the same cover! Charles and I are so honored and thrilled this will mean more people learning about the Clotilda shipmates and their story of resilience, triumph, and creativity.

Our gratitude to these committees and their work on behalf of children and literacy!

Charles and I will again be teaching (with special guest Carol Hinz!) on campus at Highlights Foundation Poetry for Kids: A World of Publishing Possibilities. Join us April 16-19! More information here.

Many of you have been asking, and I am happy to share that the Cat Man of Aleppo is safe and rescuing pets in Syria and Turkey, post-earthquake. Learn more here. Sending love and healing to all those affected.