Art by Ernel Martinez from RAP IT UP! has been selected for the prestigious Society of Illustrators The Original Art exhibition, which showcases illustrations from the year’s best children’s books. How amazing that RAP IT UP! is Ernel’s first children’s book! He is best known as a Philadelphia mural artist. The original art show will run from October 15 to December 27 in New York City. Jeffery and I couldn’t be happier for Ernel. Congratulations, brother!
What a summer! Jeffery’s performance of Rap It Up! at the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom Schools National Training in Knoxville, wowed the crowd and led a CDF staffer to proclaim him “the read-aloud GOAT.” Jeffery presented a virtual Rap It Up! workshop for New York’s Valley Cottage Library.
His solo exhibition of prints from Kin: Rooted in Hope appeared at the Academy Art Museum in Easton, Md. We celebrated Juneteenth at separate events in Easton and Centreville, Md. I served as writer-in-residence for the Children’s Literature Program at Hollins University in Roanoke, Va.
Together, we keynoted the Children’s Literature Conference at Texas Christian University and presented at Houston Public Library locations.
At the American Library Association conference in Philadelphia, we signed lots of books, presented on the Diversity Stage and shared the joy as I received the Children’s Literature Legacy Award. I was blessed to have my family and my agent, Rubin Pfeffer, with me at the Newbery/Caldecott/Legacy Awards Banquet. Read my acceptance speech here. The ALA conference is more than a big show; it’s a reunion with librarians and our creative peers.
The biggest news of the summer is not at all literary: Beah Rainbow Weatherford was born to Bre’Anna and Jeffery Weatherford on July 15. Perhaps, she’ll inspire or appear in our books. Her cousins Jordin (on the cover of Kin) and Cara (in an upcoming book) have already made their cameos. For now, they’re back to school.
Our 2025-2026 school presentations link to the English/language arts, social studies, STEAM, physical education, and SEL curricula and feature these acclaimed books and pairings:
Learn more about school visits here. If you’re in the DMV or in North Carolina, be sure to ask about discounts and all-inclusive deals.
Check out these titles for back-to-school reading (for grades 2-6): Dear Mr. Rosenwald: The School that Hope Built and How Do You Spell Unfair? Macnolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee. Here’s a teachers’ guide for How Do You Spell Unfair?
We are currently developing a teachers’ guide for Rap It Up! We’d love to hear how you have used rap in your classroom. Please share in the comments below.
We’ll be touring Maryland in October to discuss our book Kin: Rooted in Hope, the 2025 One Maryland One Book selection. The common read constitutes Maryland’s biggest book club. We’re honored that Kin will be read widely.
In 1995, my first book, Juneteenth Jamboree, was released by Lee and Low Books. At the time, it was the first and only children’s book on the first African-American holiday. I did not imagine then that I would still be publishing books 30 years later. But, 70-some books later, I am still here and I am filled with gratitude. I appreciate all the parents, caregivers and teachers who have shared my books with children in homes and classrooms across the U.S. I am grateful that children are provoked to ask tough questions after reading my nonfiction books such as Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre, Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-ins, Birmingham, 1963 and How Do You Spell Unfair? Macnolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee. I am grateful for all the schools and libraries that have sponsored my author visits. I am tickled that babies sleep with, and toddlers beg their parents to read, my board books or rhyming texts like Jazz Baby and the newly released When I Move. And I am grateful to all the award juries that chose to honor my books.
I am eternally grateful that my mother had the foresight to stop the car to jot down the original rhyme that I recited on the ride home from first grade. I am grateful that my father used my poems as typesetting exercises for the students in his printing class at Frederick Douglass High School in Baltimore. I am grateful that my son, illustrator and rapper Jeffery Boston Weatherford, has collaborated with me on four books, especially KIN: Rooted in Hope, a family history that received more love than I ever dreamed.
I am grateful that motherhood led me to my local library for storytimes that introduced me to a new crop of diverse children’s books which inspired me to try my hand at writing for young people. Last but not least, I am grateful for my ancestors who endured so that I could not only have a life but also build a legacy. THANK YOU!
I am so moved (excuse the pun) that WHEN I MOVE was chosen for the Horn Book summer reading list and that WHIRLIGIGS: THE WONDROUS WINDMILLS OF VOLLIS SIMPSON’S IMAGINATION has been nominated for the 2026 North Carolina Children’s Book Award..
Jeffery and I are both stoked that RAP IT UP!–our first authorial collaboration–received a starred review in Booklist. The reviewer notes, “This cheery picture book is a knockout. . . . . First, it celebrates the joy of creating, . . . glorifies the wonders of language. . . features vivid, graffiti-filled collages. . . [and] offers endless encouragement. The ultimate message—put in the work, because ‘The words you write are worth it'[.]’ ‘”
We presented yesterday at the Texas Christian University Children’s Literature Conference. I don’t mind telling you that Jeffery’s performance of RAP IT UP! was a big hit. If I had a dollar for everyone who’s asked whether the lyrics have been recorded, I’d have enough for Beyonce concert tickets. We’re still hoping for an audiobook narrated by Jeffery.
RAP IT UP! grew out of the rap workshops (then called Hip Hop Tech) that Jeffery began leading a decade ago. Since then, he has presented to Boys & Girls Clubs, Upward Bound, 21st Century Learning Centers, schools, libraries and museums. Available as a workshop or multi-day residency, the program includes lessons on hip hop’s history, creative writing and the technology behind the beats. This summer, Jeffery is offering only virtual workshops. Book now!
He’s making an exception on June 21 for a Juneteenth Celebration at the Academy Art Museum in Easton, Maryland. That workshop coincides with his solo exhibition of art from KIN: ROOTED IN HOPE through June at the museum. We are both thrilled that the adjacent gallery showcases works on related themes by Faith Ringgold, Jacob Lawrence and Elizabeth Catlett.
As for me, I’ll be dropping by Toronto bookstores; headlining a Juneteenth festival at Kennard African American Cultural Heritage Center in Centreville, Maryland; accepting the Children’s Literature Legacy Award at the American Library Association conference in Philadelphia; and serving as Writer-in-Residence at the Hollins University Francelia Butler Conference. Can somebody say “vacation”? I’m gonna need one!
We are now booking for the 2025-2026 school year. We can offer incentives for schools in the U.S. that book fall visits. We have availability all year, but February and March are already filling up.
Have a safe and wonderful summer!
WHEN I MOVE, my upcoming book for the youngest readers. releases April 29, 2025. Illustrated by Alea Marley, this picture book will get kids moving and imagining! Bouncy rhymes will inspire little ones to jump, run, and explore. Pre-order here.
I am pleased to announce that my first STEAM book, WHIRLIGIGS: THE WONDROUS WINDMILLS OF VOLLIS SIMPSON’S IMAGINATION, was selected by the National Science Teachers Association as a best book of the year and by the Children’s Literature Assembly as a 2025 Notable Book in the Language Arts. Profiling North Carolina folk artist Vollis Simpson, whose towering whirligigs are truly amazing, the book is about creativity and invention. Constructed of salvaged parts that others might discard, Simpson’s whirligigs spin, whirl and make sounds. Astra Books for Young Readers now has a study guide for WHIRLIGIGS. Find it here: https://astrapublishinghouse.com/resources/whirligigs-discussion-guide/.
RAP IT UP! is our first co-authored title. Illustrated by mural artist Ernel Martinez, the how-to book covers literary devices, poetic elements and performance tips to build kids’ writing skills and enhance their confidence as public speakers. The book drops on March 18, and we can hardly wait. Please join us that evening at Oxon Hill Public Library, 6200 Oxon Hill Road, in PG County. Jeffery will be rapping, of course! We hope to see you there.
Jeffery and I are so grateful that our ancestors reclaimed narratives will be amplified through KIN’s selection as the 2025 One Maryland One Book. We can almost feel our ancestors smiling down on us. Stay tuned for details of related activities. Thank you, Maryland Humanities.
When my first children’s book, Juneteenth Jamboree, debuted in 1995, it was the first picture book about Juneteenth. The first African-American holiday, Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the date in U.S. history when the last enslaved people were freed. For decades, the observance was regional to Texas and parts of Louisiana, Oklahoma and Kansas. Eventually, other areas joined the celebration. And, in 2021 Juneteenth became a federal holiday. Since 2020, Jeffery and I have kicked off summer with virtual and in-person Juneteenth celebrations–minus the barbecue.
Feast on these exciting programming options to engage young people all summer long.
I believe that one of the most beautiful passages I have ever written appears in A Crown of Stories: The Life and Language of Beloved Writer Toni Morrison. The passage incorporates her book titles and character names. See and hear the spreads above.
Illustrated by Khalif Tahir Thomspon, A Crown of Stories is a praise song written in second person. I chose that point of view not to put young readers in her shoes but to pen a love letter to Ms. Morrison herself. I completed the manuscript before Ms. Morrison became an ancestor. I had hoped, of course, that she might read the book and be pleased by my exultation.
Besides being a Nobel Laureate, Toni Morrison is the most frequently banned author. Her books have been on the list of the 100 most banned titles in each of the previous three decades, reaching the top 10 between 2010 and 2019.
As one whose work has also been banned or challenged, I agree with Ms. Morrison’s assertion:
The best art is political and you ought to be able to make it unquestionably political and irrevocably beautiful at the same time.
