Home
Welcome!
Bienvenue!
Ahlan wa Sahlan!
Mabuhay!
Konnichiwa!
I write books for kids. Because readers are leaders!
Thanks for stopping by.
Click on a cover to read reviews and more. Find more promotional images for each book here.
Available for pre-order NOW! YUMBO GUMBO, coming February 20, 2024
Charlesbridge | ISBN: 978-162354-325-9
32 pages | ages 3-6
Bookshop | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Hudson Booksellers
Annabelle is finally going to learn how to cook gumbo! But her family can’t agree on what type to make. Annabelle wants okra gumbo, but her little brother, Beau, thinks it’s too slimy.
Yumbo!
Yucko!
Annabelle tells everyone to vote for their favorite gumbo, but each vote ends in a tie. And everyone is getting hungry. Mudbugs! How will they choose?
Out NOW! No World Too Big: Young People Fighting Global Climate Change
Edited by Lindsay H. Metcalf, Keila V. Dawson, and Jeanette Bradley; Illustrated by Jeanette Bradley
Climate change impacts everyone, but the future belongs to young people. No World Too Big celebrates twelve young activists and three activist groups on front lines of the climate crisis who have planted trees in Uganda, protected water in Canada, reduced school bus’ climate footprint in Indonesia, invented alternate power sources in Ohio, and more.
Charlesbridge | ISBN: 978-1-62354-313-6
40 pages | ages 5-9
No Voice Too Small: Fourteen Young Americans Making History
No Voice Too Small celebrates the young people who know how to be the change they seek. Fourteen poems honor these young activists. Featuring poems by Lesléa Newman, Traci Sorell, and Nikki Grimes. Additional text goes into detail about each youth activist’s life and how readers can get involved.
Charlesbridge | ISBN: 978-1-6235-4131-6
40 pages | ages 5-9
OPENING THE ROAD: Victor Hugo Green and His Green Book
“Hungry? Check the Green Book. Tired? Check the Green Book. Sick? Check the Green Book.”
In the late 1930s, when segregation was legal and Black Americans couldn’t visit every establishment or travel everywhere they wanted to safely, a New Yorker named Victor Hugo Green decided to do something about it.
In the first picture book about the creation and distribution of The Green Book, author Keila Dawson and illustrator Alleanna Harris tell the story of the man behind it and how this travel guide opened the road for a safer, more equitable America.
The King Cake Baby
The little plastic baby traditionally hidden inside a Mardi Gras King Cake is the runaway in this tasty new adaptation of an old folktale. The story sparkles with French phrases, New Orleans colloquialisms, and vibrant, comic-book style artwork depicting the city’s characters and treasures. Includes an easy king cake recipe. Bon appétit!
Pelican Pub | ISBN: 978-1-45562-013-5
32 pages | ages 4-8
Where can you catch The King Cake Baby?
12 Days of Carnival Coloring & Song Book
Click here for directions on how to print a FREE copy of the 12 Days of Carnival Coloring Book as individual coloring pages or as a booklet.
Every January 6th is the first day of the Carnival season. Follow these links to plan a party, bake an easy peasy king cake and read THE KING CAKE BABY book!
Happy Mardi Gras!
©Keila V. Dawson and Keila V. Dawson, Author & Educator 2014-2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Keila V. Dawson and Keila V. Dawson, Author & Educator with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.