Books
Go Forth and Tell: The Life of Augusta Baker , Librarian and Master Storyteller
From an award-winning author and illustrator comes this picture book biography about beloved librarian and storyteller Augusta Braxton Baker, the first Black coordinator of children’s services at all branches of the New York Public Library.
Before Augusta Braxton Baker became a storyteller, she was an excellent story listener. Her grandmother brought stories like Br’er Rabbit and Arthur and Excalibur to life, teaching young Augusta that when there’s a will, there’s always a way. When she grew up, Mrs. Baker began telling her own fantastical stories to children at the 135th Street branch of the New York Public Library in Harlem. But she noticed that there were hardly any books at the library featuring Black people in respectful, uplifting ways. Thus began her journey of championing books, writers, librarians, and teachers centering Black stories, educating and inspiring future acclaimed authors like Audre Lorde and James Baldwin along the way.
As Mrs. Baker herself put it: “Children of all ages want to hear stories. Select well, prepare well and then go forth and just tell.”
Reviews for Go forth and Tell
★ “A tribute to the storied lioness of the New York Public Library...Intricate details will draw novice readers back to the pages, while more experienced readers will find a treasure trove of biographical sources…There’s thoughtfulness here in the craft and pacing of her prose, certainly; reverence, too, in the textured layers of Harrison’s mixed-media and visual storytelling. But more than anything, simple care is evident. Care for a Black librarian who sought out every gap a tale could bridge, who shattered barriers to ensure Black children would see themselves on library shelves, and whose legacy continues to this day exactly as it began—in the thrall of good stories. The Master Storyteller returns to storytime at last.”
– Kirkus, starred review
★ “[A] glowing account of legendary storytelling librarian Baker (1911–1998)…Harrison’s intricate mixed-media collages employ shifting scale to bring to life this vital history of a vital figure.”
– Publishers Weekly, starred review
★ “Brimming with color and texture, Harrison's illustrations incorporate acrylics, pen, and mixed-media collage elements that bestow a pleasing three-dimensional look to the scenes. Some of the most effective illustrations portray emotions…[T]his makes a worthy addition to library collections; pair with Anika Aldamuy Denise's picture-book biography on Pura Belpré, Planting Stories.”
– Booklist, starred review
★ “McDaniel gives an account of Baker’s life that is as celebratory as the heroes in her folktales…Harrison’s exuberant mixed-media collage illustrations capture the vibrancy of both the storyteller and her stories, creating worlds and words that leap off pages.”
– The Horn Book Magazine, starred review
★ “This is a blissful walk around the imagination for anyone who has ever been told, or has listened to, a transporting piece of storytelling…This is a wall-to-wall poetry-filled biography, with scenes of Baker hugging the buildings and cityscapes of her surroundings, towering over the classrooms, and demonstrating her immoveable presence in all of Harrison’s quilt-colored, patched-together, joyfully two- dimensional illustrations. Of course the book is catnip for librarians and storytellers, but for children, too; the colors, books, titles, typeface, faces, people, streets, and words that overflow these pages work in tandem with the text to celebrate a life in stories and a life in service to others. An essential purchase not to be missed—what a wonderful person, and what a worthy life.”
– School Library Journal, starred review
Cute Toot
An explosive ode to the bonds of sisterhood, the time-honored tradition of hide and seek, and the hilarious gas we pass.
Everyone knows attics are the best place to play hide and seek on a rainy day. That is, unless your stomach is rumbling with a bubbly gas that you absolutely cannot keep in. When Baby sister lets one sneaky fart slip out, she betrays her hiding spot and begins the most phenomenal fart fest this attic has ever seen…
A battle of the good, the bad and the stinky, young readers will surely revisit Cute Toot time and again, improving their various mouth fart sounds with each read.
Published by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Reviews for Cute Toot:
"A toot-ally fun, funny, and funky family read." –Kirkus
"Uproarious onomatopoeia promises a boisterous and outstanding—if odorous—read-aloud." —Booklist
Impossible Moon
A young girl undertakes an impossible trip to the moon, makes friends with the stars, and brings back something priceless in this gentle and lyrically told picture book about family, history, and memory.
Grana used to tell the best stories, and Mable used to long to soar through the heavens. Nowadays, Grana mostly lies in bed and Mable stays close to home. But one day, Grana asks, “If we can touch the moon, then what is impossible?”
So Mable decides to do just that, embarking on a journey through the stars where The Seven Sistahs, The Big Dipper, and other constellations help her on her quest. With the support of her new friends, Mable reaches for her biggest dream yet: to make her sick grandma well again.
2023 by the Georgia Center for the Book
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best List for 2022
Reviews for Impossible Moon
“This elegant, lyrical picture book is a contemplative and curative journey into a world of possibilities.”
– Booklist, 6/1/22
“McDaniel’s deliberate storytelling draws thoughtfully on history and mythology while centering Black representation among the stars. Through Mable, this spin on a star story offers a positive example of the importance of reaching for the impossible.”
– Publishers Weekly, 8/15/2022
“Black girl magic to the moon and back. “
– Kirkus Reviews, 2/15/2022
“The potential of Black children is limitless--a reality expressed on every page of the astral Impossible Moon. Breanna J. McDaniel fuses emotional intelligence with scientific knowledge as her young protagonist, Mable, journeys through constellations.”
-ShelfAwareness, Rachel Werner, 11/18/2022
Hands Up!
This triumphant picture book celebrates Black joy by reclaiming a charged phrase and showing readers how resistance can be part of their everyday lives.
A young Black girl lifts her baby hands up to greet the sun, reaches her hands up for a book on a high shelf, and raises her hands up in praise at a church service. She stretches her hands up high like a plane's wings and whizzes down a hill so fast on her bike with her hands way up. As she grows, she lives through everyday moments of joy, love, and sadness. And when she gets a little older, she joins together with her family and her community in a protest march, where they lift their hands up together in resistance and strength.
2021 First Novelist Honor Book
2019 by the Georgia Center for the Book
