Happy July Everyone!

Hope that you all are enjoying your summer! It's hot has heck here in Charlotte.

The humidity so thick you could cut it with a knife. Hope that you are cooling it

somewhere and beating this heat. Lots going on over here. My daughter Zoe just

graduated from High School and will be going to ECU East Carolina University and

we are excited for her! Also I just had a Book Birthday with Derrick Barnes the author

of Crown Ode to the Fresh Cut. Derrick and I have been wanting to work together again

since the first time we worked together. We finally got a chance to do a wonderful new

book called, King Of Kindergarten newly released on July 2, 2019.

It is said that black children's faces on picture books will not sale. I have heard this a few times. It is my goal, along with other illustrator and writers of color to put this myth down. I celebrate ALL children. Not just brown or black, but every color. That is my heart. This is my goal that every child will see themselves beautifully express upon the pages of picture books and on the covers of books as well.

This book is special because usually, children are nervous about going to Kindergarten on the first day. Will I make friends? Will I have fun? Will the teacher like me? So many questions. This sweet little brown boy is told by his parents that he will be the King of Kindergarten giving him the confident boost that children need on important days like this in their lives. No talk of being nervous or not liked or being scare. Giving him that seed of hope through words from his parents. I wish my parents would have told me the same. School might have been a whole lot different for me.

Derrick Barnes does such an awesome job of telling this wonderful story of his son who goes off to

his first day of Kindergarten. It was my joy to create the picture for the book. Derrick and I have worked together on his fabulous book series, Ruby and The Booker Boys with Scholastic Inc. We had such fun creating those books and now we had the wonderful opportunity to work together again and we really had fun doing so! Nancy Paulsen of Nancy Paulsen Books is the magnificent editor of this book and she was excellent to work with. I so appreciate them both.

I hope that you will all get the chance to read this wonderful book and share it with the little ones you know. King Of Kindergarten available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Nobles and other Indie bookstores near you! Peace