Ashleigh Williams

2 months ago | slj.com | Ann Richards |Ashleigh Williams

. (Orca Biography). May 2025. 104p. Tr $24.99. ISBN 9781459838444. COPY ISBN Gr 3-7–Richards’s entry in the “Orca Biography” series centers Edmond Albius, the enslaved Black boy whose botanical discovery revolutionized the vanilla industry to this day. Born in 1829 on a sugar plantation on Réunion Island, Albius was sent at age five to the small plantation of Ferréol Bellier-Beaumont, a skilled botanist who taught Albius everything he knew.

Sep 26, 2024 | slj.com | Ashleigh Williams

Gr 3-7–A mighty collection of 15 tales of Black girlhood from titans of kid lit. The entries run the genre gamut, deftly tackling common tween concerns such as bullying, identity, and first-day-of-school jitters through prisms of tongue-in-cheek fantasy, heartfelt realism, and even a touch of horror. An incumbent seventh-grade class president works hard to correct her big mistake in Sharon G.

Aug 29, 2024 | slj.com | Ashleigh Williams |Lisa Peet |Kara Yorio |Margaret Kingsbury

In Craig Kofi Farmer's Kwame Crashes the Underworld, a 12-year-old boy's life is completely changed when he is pulled into the mythological Ghanian underworld with his bestie, discovers his magical lineage, and reconnects with his deceased grandmother. The debut author spoke with SLJ about lovably chaotic characters, writing through grief, and the gravity and responsibility of honoring strong ancestors. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Aug 22, 2024 | slj.com | Ashleigh Williams |Christina Wolff

Gr 3-6–Londoner Vincent Fox, 13, calls himself a “picture visitor”—he can enter paintings, travail the world inside, and pass between portals that connect the artist’s works. An avid fan of van Gogh, Vincent loves visiting Starry Night through the sketch in his grandpa Arthur's home, and helps the National Gallery director Nora in exchange for private picture-visiting time in the museum.

Jul 29, 2024 | slj.com | Ashleigh Williams |Amanda MacGregor |Karen Jensen

Chaaya Prabhat’s artistic flair blossomed from a young age. She was a library-loving child with a passion for drawing and storytelling, and it seemed a given that professional illustration was in her future. “My style of illustration, use of colors, and hand-lettering all seemed to naturally fit well into making picture books for children,” she says.