The New Brownies' Book
A Love Letter to Black Families
by Karida L. Brown; Charly Palmer
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Pub Date Oct 10 2023 | Archive Date Oct 09 2023
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Description
“[A] heartfelt tribute to young people of color and their ‘reflection of resplendent beauty, ancient history ... and irreplaceable value.’ It’s a standout.” ―Publishers Weekly, starred review
Inspired by the groundbreaking work of W. E. B. Du Bois, this beautiful collection brings together an outstanding roster of Black creative voices to honor, celebrate, and foster Black excellence.
The New Brownies’ Book reimagines the very first publication created for African American children in 1920 as a must-have anthology for a new generation. Expanding on the mission of the original periodical to inspire the hearts and minds of Black children across the country, esteemed scholar Karida L. Brown and award-winning artist Charly Palmer have gathered the work of more than fifty contemporary Black artists and writers. The result is a book bursting with essays, poems, photographs, paintings, and short stories reflecting on the joy and depth of the Black experience—an immersive treasure trove that reminds readers of all ages that Black is brilliant, beautiful, and bold.
IMPORTANT HISTORICAL LEGACY: In 1920, W. E. B. Du Bois and the founders of the NAACP published The Brownies’ Book: A Monthly Magazine for Children of the Sun, which included art, stories, letters, and activities to inspire children, share Black history, and celebrate their identities. As the first periodical for African American youth, this was an important work in the history of children’s literature. The New Brownies’ Book revives its mission to inspire the young readers of today.
INCREDIBLE CONTRIBUTORS: This book features the work of talented and exciting Black creators, including playwright and poet Ntozake Shange, writer and editor Damon Young, Def Poetry Jam co-creator and painter Danny Simmons, sociologist and educator Dr. Bertice Berry, children’s book illustrator James E. Ransome, muralist Fabian Williams, collage artist Marryam Moma, and many more.
BEAUTIFUL KEEPSAKE: This collection presents a celebratory array of artwork, from detailed paintings and drawings to photographs and collages. It includes stories meant to be shared by children and adults, offering a way for all families—especially Black families—to connect across generations through the power of literature. With its meaningful content and deluxe packaging, this hardcover volume makes a thoughtful gift for new parents, grandparents, or inquisitive readers of all ages.
Perfect for:
- Parents, grandparents, and young readers, especially in the Black community
- Artists and writers inspired by themes of family, community, and empowerment
- Adults and teens who work with and care for young children
- Youth program leaders and community organizers
- Teachers, librarians, and educators
- Fans of the contributing artists and writers
- Art book collectors
- Audiences who seek out racial diversity and representation in the media they consume
- Fans of The Fire This Time, Glory: Magical Visions of Black Beauty, and Black Futures
Advance Praise
“This is a must-have for Black youth to experience art, photographs, and stories that will entertain the entire family.”—Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
“Serves as a heartfelt tribute to young people of color and their ‘reflection of resplendent beauty, ancient history and irreplaceable value’. It’s a standout.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
Marketing Plan
- Major publicity campaign including national TV, radio, and podcast appearances
- Ongoing engagement with prominent contributors
- Holiday gift guide campaign
- Paid and earned features in trade publications
- Classroom adoption and curricula development push
- School and library trade show presence
- Influencer campaign
Available Editions
EDITION | Other Format |
ISBN | 9781797216829 |
PRICE | $40.00 (USD) |
PAGES | 208 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
This book is incredibly beautiful. This belongs in every public and school library.
I especially loved the photos.
5 Stars.
"Beloved, you are the reflection of resplendent beauty, ancient history, substantive quality, discerning intelligence, capable talent, and irreplaceable value."
Wow, this was so good, I definitely have to get a copy for my house. The stories, the poems, and the art were so interesting and informative. I felt connected to the stories and this idea of families, children, and adults coming together. I loved the section titled A love letter to You, I felt like the author was talking directly to me. I just love this celebration of black families, black children, history, and learning to love our blackness. The art in the book was amazing and added so much to these stories. I definitely recommend this, and i think this should be a staple in homes.
"The secret is called TRUTH. which is in accordance with fact and reality. The easiest way to see TRUTH is to look in the mirror. Give yourself a joyful smile as you look at your beautiful skin. Hug yourself. You are as unique as your fingerprints. This is TRUTH."
Thank you, Netgalley, and to the publishers for this arc.
A truly beautiful book with both stunning imagery and words. Definitely something that must be experienced.
This is a stunning book. I love everything about it. The photos are gorgeous and the text is informative. I will be recommending this one a lot!
It really is a love letter to Black families. Essays, art, poems from the known and unknown. I remember reading about the original brownies books and wishing we still had them today. The art is gorgeous. I wish the “sayings” section was longer because there are so many gems. Youth are the audience of many of the essays but I don’t know how many would actually pick up this book.
This is really a book to Black Families I feel the love and just hugs from everyones help with this book. I love this book so much from Black people just living life but also talking about the issues we go through. OMG the photos was just so beautiful I can look at them for HOURS AND HOURS. WILL BE ADDD THIS TO MY CHRISTMAS LIST
This is more than a fun read book. It is a family keepsake that is made up of a beautiful collection of children stories, nursery rhymes, and old tales from those that look like us. It is comforting to read this book knowing that children and adults had read parts of it years ago too in the early 1900s and now, here I an being able to follow tradition, and be influenced by the same words, today. This is a book that needs to be held, grow old from use, have a permanent place on my shelf and get passed down to my children for their kids to be influenced by as well.
NetGalley ARC Educator 550974
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WEB Duboiscreated the Brownies book for Black youth ages 6 to 16. This reimagination is everything. It is powerful, invokes thought and emotions and a mixture of photos, prose, poetry and art.
I believe Mr. DuBois would be proud. Every school and collector should have a copy of this book.
This book is so beautiful!
The pictures and the poems are page-turners. The essays are written so you can imagine what is going on in the story, which is thoroughly engrossing.
I will get this book in hardcover for my kids to read, a copy for my coffee table, and gift it to friends who appreciate art.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Easy-to-readInformativeInspirationalPage-turnerTear-jerkerWitty
The New Brownies’ Book, A Love Letter to Black Families, Dr. Karida L. Brown and Charly Palmer
This book is an ode to Black people, and this book accomplishes that goal well. When it arrived, I didn’t want to crack the cover for fear of marring its beauty. The cover is magnificent in its expression of the black struggle and black hope.
A beautiful child, dressed in a magnificent dress, an angel, but an angel with a ferocious and proud expression graces the cover. Throughout the entire book, the message is clear that black is beautiful, black is worthy and black is worth fighting for. In addition to expressing the views of W. E. B. Du Bois, who believed in socialism and activism, I wish it had expressed a bit more of the need to rise through the maintenance of the family unit and a valuable good education. Brown and Palmer are examples of how far a black person can go and how great can be a black person’s achievement.
Activism alone often descends into unnecessary violence and suffering. There have been times when some have attempted to co-opt the message in order to cause chaos. The absence of any mention of Dr. Ben Carter, and Supreme Court Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Clarence Thomas, Thomas Sowell, Robert Woodson, and Jacqueline Woodson, among so many others today who preach beauty and unity, was a loss for me. However, the book captures the very real fear, the beauty of the dreams, the actual progress and the despair of the failures of the past with its presentation of the works in the book.
The art work, the photographs, the poetry, essays, short stories all express the beauty of black culture and black history and hopefully will influence a better way forward.