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A Conversation on Place with Dinah Johnson, April Harrison and Christy Ottaviano (adults)

October 4, 2022 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm EDT

The event has passed, but can be viewed here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E-M2YNHKqQ&t=5s

Join acclaimed author, Dinah Johnson, renowned folk artist, April Harrison and their publisher, Christy Ottaviano, in conversation about the five (!) starred reviewed picture book, H IS FOR HARLEM, and the use of place in picture books.

★ “Engaging and beautiful … What a splendid way to learn the alphabet!”Horn Book, starred review

★ “An ode to the beating heart of African American culture with remarkable depth and breadth. This title is a celebration of Harlem’s vibrancy, dynamism, and significance.”School Library Journal, starred review

★ “Sumptuous and necessary… Harrison’s mixed-media illustrations are meant to be savored for their layers of detail. Light seems to shine through these stunning, vibrant pages. Would that the English alphabet had more than 26 letters so that H is for Harlem could have been longer.” Booklist, starred review

★ “Harrison’s arresting mixed-media illustrations render the abundant cast of important figures and myriad, unique surroundings in lifelike shades, lush textures, and generous dimensions, showing, as Johnson writes, that ‘Harlem is a place like no other in the world.'”
Publishers Weekly, starred review

★  “Historically rich…. Harrison’s stunning, colorful, highly textured illustrations complement and expand upon Johnson’s textual snapshots, which offer just enough detail to encourage children to deepen their knowledge of Harlem. This is a beautiful and welcome celebration of Black joy. A gem that whets the appetite to learn more about a city where art is as alive as the people who live there.”–Kirkus Reviews, starred review

DINAH JOHNSON is the award-winning author of many books for young readers, including H is for Harlem, illustrated by April Harrison; Indigo Dreaming, illustrated by Anna Cunha; Black Magic, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie; Hair Dance! with photographs by Kelly Johnson; Quinnie Blue, illustrated by James Ransome; Sunday Week, illustrated by Tyrone Geter; and All Around Town: The Photographs of Richard Samuel Roberts. A professor of English at the University of South Carolina, she lives in Columbia, South Carolina. She invites you to visit her at dinahjohnsonbooks.com.

APRIL HARRISON a renowned folk artist, is the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award–winning illustrator of Patricia C. McKissack’s final picture book, What Is Given from the Heart, which received four starred reviews and which the New York Times Book Review called an “exquisite story of generosity.” Her work appears in the public collections of Vanderbilt University, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, the Atlanta Housing Authority, and the Erskine University Museum, as well as in many private collections. She invites you to visit her at www.april-harrison.com.

CRISTY OTTAVIANO is VP and Publisher of Christy Ottaviano Books. Christy was Publisher of her eponymous imprint at the Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for twelve years prior to moving to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. She has edited many bestselling books for young readers and teens, and her books have garnered such honors as the National Book Award, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the Ezra Jack Keats Award, the John Steptoe Award, the EB White Read Aloud Award, the Coretta Scott King Award,  the Bank Street College Josette Frank and Claudia Lewis Awards, the Cooke Prize, the Edgar Award, the NCTE Orbis Pictus Award, the Founders Award, as well as various New York Times Notable and ALA Notable and Best Books, among other honors. She holds graduate degrees in English Literature and in English and Art Education from Boston College and Columbia University.

To purchase the book, we hope that you will support AALBC.com, the oldest, largest, and most frequently visited web site dedicated to books by, or about, people of African descent. You can purchase HERE.

Details

Date:
October 4, 2022
Time:
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm EDT
Website:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E-M2YNHKqQ&t=5s

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