I'm on a Picture Book Panel at Books of Wonder in NYC!

I’m excited to be on a picture book panel at Books of Wonder in New York City:

These picture books tell brilliant true stories that you just can’t miss. Join us in-store to hear all about them!

Picture Books to Inspire

From activists to artists to brave children, these picture books tell the tales of individuals whose legacies inspire new generations to act. We’re thrilled to host KEITH HENRY BROWN, illustrator of Postcards from Malcolm X, VIOLETA ENCARNACIÓN, illustrator of Barbed Wire Between Us, as well as MIA WENJEN, the author behind both titles, LINDA SUE PARK, Newbery Medalist and author of Run. Sing. Dream., author TRACI N. TODD, and illustrator VASHTI HARRISON, the creators behind That You Are Here Is No Small Thing.

These are brilliant true stories that you just can’t miss. Join us in-store to hear all about them!

About the books:

Postcards from Malcolm X written by MIA WENJEN and illustrated by KEITH HENRY BROWN

When Japanese American activist Yuri Kochiyama shook Malcolm X’s hand at a courthouse in 1963, it sparked a transformative friendship built on justice, solidarity, and hope. This book introduces readers to an unsung hero of the civil rights movement and to the extraordinary friendship between two leaders from different communities, bound by a shared vision of equality.

Barbed Wire Between Us written by MIA WENJEN and illustrated by VIOLETA ENCARNACIÓN

A single poem holds two lives, separated by decades yet bound by the same stretch of barbed wire.

Read forward, a Japanese American girl is uprooted and sent to an incarceration camp during World War II, her world reduced to dust, distance, and longing. Read in reverse, and the poem transforms: now a Latina girl stands in that same place, detained generations later, her story echoing across time.

Together, they create a book that reads like a mirror held up to the past—and the present.

Run. Sing. Dream. written by LINDA SUE PARK

From Rosa Parks to Greta Thunberg, from James Baldwin to Malala Yousafzai, the world has been shaped by those who found the courage to stand, speak, sing, and dream. With spare, poetic text and vibrant illustrations, this inspiring book celebrates the many forms bravery can take: a quiet act of resistance, a powerful song, a determined march, or a single dream carried forward. This book invites children everywhere to ask themselves one vital question: What will you do to be brave?

That You Are Here Is No Small Thing, written by TRACI N. TODD and illustrated by VASHTI HARRISON

At once honest and empowering, That You Are Here Is No Small Thing is a story about resilience. In these stunning pages, young descendants of enslaved Africans are guided through the history that led them to exist and thrive today. Through their eyes, we see how Black Americans have relied on one another to fight against oppression and the ways in which the strength of their ancestors is always with them.

If you are in the New York City area, I hope to see you on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at 6 pm at Books of Wonder, 17th Street Store!

p.s. Related posts:

Q&A with POSTCARDS FROM MALCOLM X Illustrator Keith Henry Brown

YA and Kids Books Central reviews POSTCARDS FROM MALCOLM X

School Library Journal reviews POSTCARDS FROM MALCOLM X

Postcards from Malcolm X Unboxing!

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My books:

Bookshop.org / Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me

Barbed Wire Between Us by Mia Wenjen, illustrated by Violeta Encarnación

⭐ Starred review from Kirkus
⭐ Starred review from Publishers Weekly
⭐ Starred review from School Library Journal
Kirkus: The Most Anticipated Children’s Books of Spring 2026

Free and downloadable guide:

Barbed Wire Between Us Teacher’s Guide

Bookshop.org / Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me

Postcards from Malcolm X: How Yuri Kochiyama Became a Civil Rights Activist

Bookshop.org / Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me

Fortune Cookies for Everyone! (Smithsonian): The Surprising Story of the Tasty Treat We Love to Eat

California Eureka Non-Fiction Gold Award
Junior Library Guild Gold Selection
Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner (from National Council for the Social Studies and Children’s Book Council)

The Traveling Taco: The Amazing and Surprising Journey of Many of Your Favorite Foods

California Eureka Non-Fiction Silver Award
Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner (from National Council for the Social Studies and Children’s Book Council)
Reading Rockets’ Summer Reading Guide 2025

Bookshop.org / Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me

We Sing from the Heart: How the Slants® Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme Court

ALSC Notable Children’s Book
2025 Carter G. Woodson Book Award Middle Level Honoree
Orbis Pictus Recommended Book for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children
2024 Julia Ward Howe Prize for Children’s Literature Winner
California Eureka Non-Fiction Award Honor Book
Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner (from National Council for the Social Studies and Children’s Book Council)
Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year 2025
Recommended Reading for the Social Justice Literature Award 2025 (International Literacy Association)
Pennsylvania Mountain Laurel Book Award Nominee 2026-27
Junior Library Guild Gold Selection