Picture books

Activism, Louisiana, Picture books

Writing, Reimagining Midlife and Creative Becoming

Writing to reimagine midlife still feels fairly new to me. And the creativity part? Still becoming. And I suspect, like a story, can go on and on until the author stops writing. I am honored Paulette Bethel, PhD, featured me as an example in her beautifully written CULTURS Magazine article, “The Art of Becoming: Creativity, Cultural Wisdom & the Stories We Carry”. I discuss my journey from educator to children’s author and how my New Orleans roots, global experiences, and reimagining midlife led to my passion for truth-telling and creative becoming.

To all of my friends and fellow writers “of a certain age”…

Happy becoming!

by Keila Dawson1 Min Reading
Nonfiction, Picture books, Teaching Tips

OPENING THE ROAD is a Notable Book!

I am thrilled to announce that The State Library of Ohio, the Ohioana Library Association with the Ohio Center for the Book and Choose to Read Ohio Advisory Council selected OPENING THE ROAD: VICTOR HUGO GREEN AND HIS GREEN BOOK as a 2025 Choose to Read Ohio (CTRO) notable book! Find the reader’s toolkit created for OPENING THE ROAD here.

The CTRO booklist features 20 titles for all ages selected by Ohio teachers, librarians, and other advocates for readers and reading.

by Keila Dawson1 Min Reading
Nonfiction, Picture books

More Book Award News!

I am thrilled and honored to announce more book award news. A couple months ago, I shared that NO WORLD TOO BIG won the 2024 Green Earth Book Award – Intermediate Category. This month I have exciting news about two other books.

The National Science Teachers Association and the Children’s Book Council selected YUMBO GUMBO as one of the winning titles for their NSTA-CBC 2025 Best STEM Book list. Click here to find the full list of winning titles.

And the State Library of Ohio, the Ohioana Library Association with the Ohio Center for the Book, and the Choose to Read Ohio Advisory Council selected OPENING THE ROAD for the 2025 Choose to Read Ohio (CTRO) book list. The CTRO booklist features 20 titles for all ages selected by Ohio teachers, librarians, and other advocates for readers and reading. It’s in great company! Click here for a list of the titles.

I am beyond thrilled to see that OPENING THE ROAD continues to reach readers with every honor and recognition.

Giving thanks!

by Keila Dawson1 Min Reading
Diverse Books, Nonfiction, Picture books

October’s been a busy month!

NO WORLD TOO BIG: YOUNG PEOPLE FIGHTING GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE won two awards!

NO WORLD TOO BIG: YOUNG PEOPLE is the winner of the 2024 Green Earth Book Award in the Picture Book – Intermediate category! The Nature Generation gives the award. Here’s the cover sporting the 2024 Green Earth Book Award sticker. I missed last week’s virtual ceremony for that award because of travel, but Lindsay and Jeanette attended. We are so happy the book is reaching young readers! 

It’s also the winner of the 2024 ILA Social Justice Literature Award in the Nonfiction Picture Book category. This award is from the International Literacy Association.

And the third bit of news…

Feliz cumpleaños del libro, El más gumbo delicioso! October is a month to honor and celebrate Louisiana Creole, Latino, Indigenous heritage and gumbo. YUMBO! Join me in welcoming the Spanish edition of Yumbo Gumbo to the world!

by Keila Dawson1 Min Reading
Diverse Books, Louisiana, Picture books

Feliz cumpleaños del libro, El gumbo más delicioso!

Happy book birthday, El más gumbo delicioso! October is a month to honor and celebrate Louisiana Creole, Latino, Indigenous heritage and gumbo. YUMBO!

I am excited this book is in the world and will reach a Spanish-speaking audience. Now available. Here’s the link to places to purchase your copy today! Gracias.

YG #El gumbo release day – 1
by Keila Dawson1 Min Reading
Activism, Nonfiction, Picture books

2024 Green Earth Book Award Ceremony – 10/17

In March, we received news that NO WORLD TOO BIG was chosen as the winner of the 2024 Green Earth Book Award in the Picture Book – Intermediate category. The award celebration will take place virtually on Thursday, October 17, 7:00 – 8:30 PM, EST. The event is free to attend, although registration is required.

We are so honored to have our work recognized and hopefully encourage more youth to get involved!

To register go to: tinyurl.com/NatGenGEBA2024

We are so honored to have our work recognized and hopefully encourage more youth to get involved.

by Keila Dawson1 Min Reading
Activism, Nonfiction, Picture books

No World Too Big wins 2024 Book Award!

NO WORLD TOO BIG: YOUNG PEOPLE FIGHTING GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE is the recipient of the 2024 Green Book Earth Award in the Picture Book – Intermediate category from The Nature Generation!    💕 🌍 💕

We are so happy this book is reaching readers! And besides the winners and honors, there’s a long recommended reading list.

It was also a finalist for the Russell Freedman Award for Nonfiction for a Better World, part of the SCBWI Legacy and Impact fund.

by Keila Dawson1 Min Reading
Nonfiction, Picture books, Teaching Tips

A Poetry & Earth Month Mentor Text Activity

April is poetry month and Earth Day is celebrated every April 22nd. But do you know about the Earth Month Ecochallenge? It runs from April 1 – April 30, 2024. This month, pledge to take action. The more who do, the greater the impact. From their website, “This year’s theme, “Conserving Every Ecosystem, Caring for Every Creature,” highlights the intersection of conservation and behavior change. By focusing on daily actions and continuous learning, we aim to create a sustainable and just world, not just for humans but for all species and ecosystems we rely on.”

Below is an activity for kids using NO WORLD TOO BIG, a perfect fit for April’s Poetry Month, the Earth Month Ecochallenge, and Earth Day on April 22nd. Click here or on the worksheet to download the template.

Every day is Earth Day!

by Keila Dawson1 Min Reading
Diverse Books, Louisiana, Picture books

Happy Book Birthday, Yumbo Gumbo!

What a fun book launch! Lots of moms, grandparents and a dad came to the Yumbo Gumbo storytime at Joseph-Beth Cincinnati. A sibling pair totally understood how big and little siblings relationships work and identified with my characters Annabelle and Beau. All the kiddos and their grown-ups were engaged, and they loved the bread basket craft. When a mom asked her son what he planned to put in his basket, he said cars. 🤣

 

[videopack id=”12197″]https://www.keiladawson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/2024-Book-Tour-Video-1.mp4[/videopack]
by Keila Dawson1 Min Reading
Activism, Nonfiction, Picture books

No World Too Big Award News!

NO WORLD TOO BIG is a finalist for the Russell Freedman Award for Nonfiction for a Better World. This award is given by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Ilustrators (SCBWI) “to a work of nonfiction that contributes to our understanding of how to make our world and society better.”

See the full list of finalists on the @SCBWIIMPACT post on IG. The winner will be announced in March!

Lindsay, Jeanette and I are grateful to the youth who trusted us to tell their stories and the poets inspired to write about them.

NO WORLD TOO BIG POETS

Aka Niviâna

Traci Sorell

Carlon Zachras

Sally J Pla

Vanessa Newton

JaNay Brown-Wood

Dalia Elhassan

David Bowles

Rajani Narasimhan LaRocca

Renée M. LaTulippe

Heidi Stemple

Teresa Robeson

by Keila Dawson1 Min Reading
Activism, Nonfiction, Picture books

New Book Deal Announcement!

I am so excited to announce there’s a third poetry anthology featuring fourteen incredible young neurodivergent activists in the works! Once again, it is such an honor that these young people have trusted us with their stories. And I am thrilled to teamed up with the uber talented Lindsay H. Metcalf and Jeanette Bradley, too.

NO BRAIN THE SAME: Young Neurodivergent Activists Shaping Our Future will be on bookshelves in 2026!

by Keila Dawson1 Min Reading
Author visits, Nonfiction, Picture books

Storytime at Cover to Cover Children’s Books

Spending the morning with young readers and book lovers is something authors look forward to. Cover to Cover Children’s Books in Columbus, OH supports readers, writers, and illustrators, which is invaluable to book creatives and their communities.

Thanks to Bryan Loar, I had the pleasure of spending Saturday morning for their weekly storytime reading from NO WORLD TOO BIG. And Shelly from Green Columbus, a nonprofit focusing on the environment, talked about their work. See the video re-cap below.

Making memories!

by Keila Dawson1 Min Reading
Author visits, Nonfiction, Picture books

No World Too Big Book Tour!

It’s almost tour time! Lindsay H. Metcalf, Jeanette Bradley and I are kicking off our NO WORLD TOO BIG book tour with my regional SCBWI Ohio Central-South chapter tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 7pm/EST. Here’s the link if you’d like to register for this free event.

And we are all off to Washington, DC, where I will meet Lindsay and Jeanette in-person for the very first time after collaborating on two books together! Take that pandemic.

Then each of us will be on the road in different places to promote NO WORLD TOO BIG. Save the date if you’re in one of these cities on our tour. We’d love to meet you!

See my NO WORLD TOO BIG book page for free educational content.

Charlesbridge | ISBN: 978-1-62354-313-6
40 pages | ages 5-9

Bookshop  | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

by Keila Dawson1 Min Reading
Activism, Nonfiction, Picture books

There Is No Planet B: Ten Books about…

The Nerdy Book Club includes teachers and librarians extraordinaire who care about books, reading, and their students. It was an honor to contribute to their blog, where I shared ten current and forthcoming books about climate change for young readers. Because everyone can do something to fight global warming!

There Is No Planet B: Ten Books about Global Warming for Young Readers

by Keila Dawson1 Min Reading
Activism, Nonfiction, Picture books

SNEAK PEEK! A video about No World Too Big

My co-editors, Lindsay H. Metcalf and Jeanette Bradley and I made this video, Discover Composting with NO WORLD TOO BIG!, when our publisher, Charlesbridge, invited us to take part in their Spring Preview ’23 book buzz event.

You can get a sneak peek at NO WORLD TOO BIG: YOUNG PEOPLE FIGHTING GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE and learn how we compost.

NO WORLD TOO BIG is available for pre-order wherever books are sold. It will be on a shelf near you in March, just in time for Earth Day in April!

by Keila Dawson1 Min Reading
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