CURRENT ISSUE

CURRENT ISSUE PREVIEW

MARCH 2022

Our March line-up includes interviews with Marc Brown, Amy Moy, Ben Giroux, K. Tang, Mic Nickels, Deborah Falaye, Anne Armstrong, Erika Lewis, Alex Prud'homme, and Daisy Hurst! Taylor Moxey has spring fever, Judy Newman's column has gone to the dogs (and cats!), Linda Harkey has a doggone writing assignment for little readers, Once Upon a Dance takes the global stage, and Nick Spake reviews The Wolf and the Lion.

Check out our newest book reviews and reading list! It's all inside!

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Sponsored by Linda Harkey and Once Upon a Dance.

FEATURES

MARC BROWN

Reflects on the Final Season of Arthur

by Melissa Fales

Arthur, the Emmy-winning, longest-running animated kids’ television show, came to the end of its storied run on February 21, and creator Marc Brown has released a new book to commemorate the occasion. Believe in Yourself: What We Learned from Arthur offers new illustrations as well as a mix of funny and poignant quotes and life lessons that viewers learned along with the popular, perennially 8-year-old aardvark and his friends over the past 25 years. “A few years ago, we made a conscious decision to end the show on year 25,” says Brown. “I knew I was going to do a book to celebrate the series. I knew that I wanted to write it both for the adults who grew up with Arthur and the kids who are just getting to know him. I thought this type of book was the best way to bring that all together. It’s probably as close as I’ll ever get to a memoir.”

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DR. AMY MOY

Pens a Picture Book Inspired by Her Extraordinary Daughter

by Melissa Fales

Evie is a little girl who loves singing at the top of her lungs, who can often be found dancing to Bruno Mars’ hit “Uptown Funk,” and who was born with Down syndrome. Her mom, Dr. Amy Moy, recently released her debut children’s book, The Polka-Dotted Penguin—a story inspired by Evie—about how what makes us different makes us special. “Evie has changed my life for the better and set me on a journey of meeting cool people, advocating for people with disabilities, and even writing a children’s book about inclusion and kindness,” says Moy.

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ONE TO WATCH:

BEN GIROUX

by Melissa Fales

Nickelodeon’s new animated series, Big Nate, premiered February 17 on Paramount +. The show, based on the popular comic strip and book series by Lincoln Peirce, is about the triumphs and trials of a sixth-grade boy who finds escape through drawing cartoons. Actor Ben Giroux voices Nate. “Nate is a character I can totally relate to,” says Giroux. “I grew up always doodling something. I wanted to do justice to the source material and take care of Big Nate’s existing fan base, but at the same time, elevate the story for a modern audience and invite in a completely new generation of Big Nate fans.”

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K. TANG

Educates Hearts and Minds with Picture Book Series

by Melissa Fales

Before becoming a children’s author and creating her award-winning Character Zchool series, K. Tang was a classroom teacher. She noticed that questions about character development in children were a recurring theme during parent-teacher meetings. “Character is such an abstract thing,” she says. “How do you teach character at home as a parent? That’s when I got inspired. I love writing, so why not create something for parents to share with their kids at home?” Her first Character Zchool book, Finding Goals, was released in May of 2021. Planning for Sports Day and Learning from Failure followed later last year.

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HIP-HOP ARTIST MIC NICKELS

Strikes a Chord with New Memoir

by Melissa Fales

For over 20 years, rapper Mic Nickels has been immersed in the Hip-Hop scene as a producer, a solo rapper, and the front man for the jazz-infused hip-hop band Nickel and Dime Ops. In his new book, Bars for Days, Nickels takes an introspective look back at how hip-hop influenced him personally, how it shaped an entire generation, and how it ultimately affected society at large at a time of immense change. “My generation, which falls in between the tail-end of Gen X and the rise of the Millennials, is literally the human bridge between the analog and digital world,” says Nickels. “The importance of this can’t be stated enough, though we often find ourselves overlooked as the 21st century unravels.”

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DEBORAH FALAYE

Has Created a Monster Debut

by Melissa Fales

In her debut book, Blood Scion, author Deborah Falaye creates a riveting fantasy adventure by weaving together aspects of centuries-old African legends with inspiration from contemporary cases of social injustice. The YA book follows Sloane, a 15-year-old girl who’s drafted into an army she would rather fight against than fight for. Falaye, who grew up in Nigeria and moved to Canada when she was 12, says Blood Scion was largely influenced by the many stories about Africa she heard as a child. “My mother was a teacher when we lived in Nigeria, so I was always surrounded by books,” says Falaye. “I grew up with African literature and with my grandmother constantly telling me the stories of our Yoruban-Nigerian mythology. All of that has stuck with me.”

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ANNE ARMSTRONG

Introduces Families to an Adventurous New Friend

by Melissa Fales

Good things come in small packages, such as the My Gnome on the Roam® collection of toys and accessories, designed for families to enjoy together within short increments of time. There’s a cute, customizable gnome who arrives in a mini suitcase or tiny house, a book about his story, adventure kits, and even a mobile app. Mom and middle school teacher Anne Armstrong launched My Gnome on the Roam to help busy parents spend daily, quality time with their children. “We want to give people simple tools to use to build magic into even their busiest days,” says Armstrong. “There is no need to wait for vacation once a year to make magic, we have that opportunity every day. We want our tools to help create stronger, happier kids and more present, connected adults.

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ERIKA LEWIS

Takes Young Readers to a New Kind of School

by Melissa Fales

Celebrate Irish heritage month with Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts, the latest book and first middle grade work by fantasy author Erika Lewis. The book, the first in a trilogy, debuts on March 1. Inspired by Irish mythology and Lewis’s own experiences on the Emerald Isle, Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts is about a girl, hardened by her circumstances in the human world, who wonders where her parents are, why they abandoned her, and if she’ll ever find a place where she’ll feel like she belongs. “Kelcie is a kid who’s been through a lot,” says Lewis. “She walks around with a bit of anger inside of her. She’s not a sweet kid. She’s not Harry Potter. She’s tough because she’s needed to be tough.”

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