Illustrator/Author Spotlight-Kadir Nelson

 
"I feel that art’s highest function is that of a mirror, reflecting the innermost beauty and divinity of the human spirit; and is most effective when it calls the viewer to remember one’s highest self. I choose subject matter that has emotional and spiritual resonance and focuses on the journey of the hero as it relates to the personal and collective stories of people."-Kadir Nelson

 Kadir Nelson became my favorite illustrator when I saw a cover he created for The New Yorker. My first thought was that nobody could make such a inspiring and realistic drawing for a magazine, but I was wrong. I felt like I was seeing colors in slow motion that came together all by themselves. So I did some research on this wonderful artist, because I wanted to know more about him.

Nelson was born in 1974 and started his love for drawing and painting at the age of three. He also was an apprentice to his uncle, who was an artist and also an art instructor. Nelson's work can be found in art galleries, museums, and also in the private collection of famous people. He has created artwork for esteemed clients and artwork for music albums.  He created the album cover for Drake's, "Nothing was the Same" and Micheal Jackson's album entitled "Micheal".

Now we get to my favorite part, Nelson is also an author and illustrator of several children books. He has worked with Spike Lee and his wife, Debbie Allen, and many more with creating children's literature . Nelson started his career in children books when he was asked to illustrate a book by Jerdine Nolen. I am fortunate to have some of his books within my book collection. I really enjoy the collaborations he does with authors and others to make these books come alive. Please enjoy his beautiful books below! I know you will enjoy just looking at the book covers! For more books and artwork please checkout Kadir Nelson's website http://www.kadirnelson.com.

Awards

2009 Sibert Medal for We Are the Ship

Coretta Scott King Award for Ellington Was Not a Street, written by Ntozake Shange

NAACP Image Award for Just the Two of Us,

2008 Caldecott Honor for Henry's Freedom Box, written by Ellen Levine

New York Society of Illustrator Award Big Jabe

NYT Best-Selling picture books including, “WE ARE THE SHIP: The Story of Negro League Baseball” and “Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans

The Importance of Seeing Myself

Photo Credit: Key Williams 

"When our identity comes from the self, then we keep our energy to ourselves.  We feel energetic, we feel powerful, and we experience youthful vigor"~Deepak Chopra

As the summer comes to an end, I took a little break from my blog life.   My mind, my spirit, and my sanity were in need of rest.  I had a whole blog typed up and ready to publish, but I erased it because so much chaos was happening in the same week. I could not bring myself to write, until now.  When I started this blog, I truly did not have an aim or a goal. I just wanted to educate others in some type of way. Then, I realized that diversity in the school systems, in homes, and in a lot of areas in the world were lacking. I wanted to help with that so I created Miss T's Book Room.

Growing up I had books, I was surrounded by them daily.  The Baby-Sitters Club, The Golden Books, Dr. Seuss, and Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle......just to name a few.  However, only a couple of books unintentionally taught me about self-identity.  I did not realize the impact these books had on my young life until I was older.  Her Stories was the name of one and it was written by Virginia Hamilton.  I read this book everyday and everyday I felt like I was reading it for the first time.  It was a book given to me by my Grandmother.  I would look at the colorful illustrations and the expressive words.  My attention would be so into those characters that I would construct a new story about them.

While it may seem strange to others, Her Stories helped me to gain self-identity, I saw myself as a black woman.  While reading this book, I discovered that I was beautiful, I can make mistakes, words could hurt me, and that I could be knowledgeable as well as wise.  The other book was something I read when I was older, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.  I read that story multiple times too, until the book was torn (as you can see I like to read things multiple times).  Even though Maya lived in a different time, she wrote with so much feeling and imagery.  Dr.  Seuss nor The Golden Books could help me manifest this revelation.  I never realized that a child reading these books and engaging in certain illustrations could produced self love.

Creating a healthy sense of self image/self love starts now. Children of color are faced with so many negative comparisons of themselves, let us change that perception.  We need to discuss the importance of children knowing who they are, what they are, and who they're becoming.  It takes discussion, not just in the classroom, but in the home.  Let us teach all children that greatness comes from within and loving yourself is the most important thing.  I guess you didn't know you could learn so much from a book. ; )

Young Poets

A couple of weeks ago, I was discussing that the month of April was National Poetry Month with a friend.  She said, "It makes sense that it would be in April though, because it is the time of Spring."  It never crossed my mind, April is the time of new things.  Take a moment to think about it..... rain comes and cleanses the Earth and gives things a new start. The birds chirp, the flowers bloom...................

At an early age, I started writing poetry.  I kept a small book and usually wrote poetry and short stories.  Poetry was a mental getaway for me, as I looked back I saw so many poems in that small notebook. I started to reminisce about how helpful they were during my childhood. Children can associate the greatness of poetry by seeing that it is the ability to inspire emotions and special pleasure through rhythms.  

The first National Poetry Month was held in 1996. The month helps honor publishers, booksellers, educators and literary organizations.  During this month, publishers often release and publicize their poetry works in April.  Also during this month, teachers and librarians like to focus on poetry units and famous poets. 

Through recent observation, I realized that we do not allow students enough time to express themselves. Teaching children about poetry at an early age awakens many types of interest and feelings. You can learn a lot from your students from just listening to their thoughts and ideas and how they understand the world. Recently, I discovered many literary works from poets that are design for young readers.  These books below deal with poetry and have diverse characters.  I hope you enjoy learning about them and consider them for your child or your own book collection. I also hope you encourage your children and/or your students to be young poets. 

  My People (Coretta Scott King Award - Illustrator Winner Title(s))
Charles R. Smith Jr. helps Langston Hughes and his beautiful words come alive.  Smith uses great photographs to show the beauty of being an African-American in today's society.

Shades of Black: A Celebration of Our Children
Poetic words help celebrate this amazing literary work.  Just like my people, photographs are used to show the beauty of being black in American.

  Where the Sidewalk Ends: Poems and Drawings
This profound literary work has been around for many years and is also know as a classic.  Where the Sidewalk Ends, is one book that should be on every bookshelf.

  Follow Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems
This clever book can be read from top to bottom to tell a story one way. Then, you can reverse the lines and read from bottom to top and the story takes a different turn.  This book is so much fun for kids, it takes poetry to a whole new level.

  Poetry for Young People: Maya Angelou
Dr. Maya Angelou is a true icon when it comes to literature.  So just imagine how excited I was when I discovered this book for young readers.  This book contains twenty-five of her finest poems.

  Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat (A Poetry Speaks Experience)
Hip-Hop is poetry with a beat.  This book helps children to understand that poems have rhythm and rhyme.  Read poems and hear songs by A Tribe Called Quest, Gwendolyn Brooks, and many more.

 

Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku
This is a cute poetry story about a young boy who finds a cat and takes him home.  This story is told in Haiku.  Haiku is a Japanese poem of seventeen syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five, traditionally evoking images of the natural world.

More Great Poetry Books With Diverse Characters