Zaila Avant-garde

Jun 8, 2023 | kirkusreviews.com | Lena Anlauf |Joanna Rzezak |Zaila Avant-garde

On the nose for young naturalists. A prodigious portrait gallery of prominent proboscises. Digging deeply into the world’s wild animal populations, Konstantinov picks a plethora of notable noses to depict in face-forward postures, from members of the elephant and pig families on down to elephant seals, anteaters, star-nosed moles and molelike desmans, shrews and their cousins, aptly named Pinocchio frogs of New Guinea, Madagascar leaf-nosed snakes, and snout beetles.

May 2, 2023 | kirkusreviews.com | Zaila Avant-garde |Raina Telgemeier |Kelli Dunham |Laura Tallardy

HOW TO BE AWESOME AT LIFE by Zaila Avant-garde ‧ Avant-garde, who in 2021 became the first African American winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, offers guidance to readers eager to follow their own dreams. Though the author’s many achievements—among them two basketball-related Guinness World Records and being named SportsKid 2021 of the year by Sports Illustrated Kids—may look effortless, she stresses that it’s been hard work.

Feb 1, 2023 | popsugar.com | Zaila Avant-garde

This Black History Month, we wanted to learn about the personal histories of women we admire — so we asked changemakers to tell us about a Black woman in their life who has been crucial in shaping who they are today. In this installment, Zaila Avant-garde tells us why former NASA astronaut Mae C. Jemison's story has served as an inspiration. In 2021, Avant-garde became the first Black student to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Now 16 years old, Avant-garde is gearing up for two book releases.