#Briana Mukodiri Uchendu

[the-dust-jacket]

The Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Awards recognized Jade Adia in the author category and Briana Mukodiri Uchendu in the illustrator category this year. Congratulations!

[nonesuchrecords]

Rhiannon Giddens’s second book, We Could Fly, is due October 10 from Candlewick Press, available to pre-order here.

The new picture book, a companion to her debut book, Build a House, released last October, gives wing to a tale of grace and transcendence, draws on lyrics from the song “We Could Fly,” which Giddens wrote with Dirk Powell and recorded for her 2017 Nonesuch album, Freedom Highway. It draws on a heritage of African folklore for a dialogue between a mother and daughter, paired with illustrations by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu that celebrate love, resilience, and the spiritual power of the “old-time ways”—tradition and shared cultural memory—to sustain and uplift.

[winningthesweepstakes]

The Night Market by Seina Wedlick, illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu

The Night Market by Seina Wedlick, illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu. Random House Studio, 2024. 9780593563687 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4 Format: Hardcover picture book What did you like about the book?  Travel to Nigeria for a peek at the Night Market, as a little unnamed girl recounts the wonders she sees in a lilting and poetic first person voice. The digital…

[evreadseverything]

Book Review for The Talk

Genre: Social Issues, African-American/Black Experience

Audience: PreK-3rd Grade

Medium: eBook via Libby

Summary: Jay is a young Black boy who is enjoys hanging out with his friends and being a carefree kid. As he grows older, his family begins to prepare him for the unjust reality he may face in the world.

Justification: Growing up my grandma would often buy me Coretta Scott King award winners as she felt it was important for me read books that were about the Black experience. She wanted to do this as I was a young Black and Puerto Rican girl who lived in a predominately White area. Therefore, picking this book was a way for me to pay homage to that time. Also, it brings me great pleasure to see more children's book that present difficult conversations about race to young readers in a more understandable way.

Evaluation of Illustrations: Briana Mukodiri Uchendu's illustration style is reminiscent of Black art in the 90's and 2000's. This style choice brings about a sense of familiarity and nostalgia to those who grew up surrounded with art like that. Uchendu takes care in ensuring that each Black character is an individual through the various skin shades, hair texture, and hairstyles shown. The choice to illustrate the pages where Jay's parents have The Talk with him in darker colors instead of the warmer colors shown throughout the book convey to the reader the importance of the message.

Evaluation of Format: I've never read a picture book as an eBook before, so this was a new experience for me. It was a simple process to checkout the eBook via Libby and download it to my Kindle cloud. I typically read eBooks on my iPhone or tablet, but when I opened The Talk on those devices I found that the illustrations and text were too small. If I tried to zoom in on the text, I couldn't see the illustrations and vice versa. I instead had to pull up the eBook on my desktop so that I may read it as if it were a physical book. Overall, I appreciated how the eBook format allowed me to zoom in on the illustrations so that I may notice all the details.

Evaluation on Story Goal: Upon reading the book blurb, it can be assumed that the book's goal is to help adults explain the racism and discrimination Black youth may face as they grow older. The books author, Alicia D Williams, tastefully executes this goal by remaining subtle throughout the book. Instead of outright telling the reader that as jay and his friends get older, they are looked at and treated differently, it is shown via illustrations of people in society staring at them. Also, the choice to not tell the reader what Jay's parents said to him during The Talk was great because it allows for the readers parents to do so.

APA Citation: Williams, A. D. (2022). The talk (B. N. Uchendu, Illus.). Simon and Schuster.

[the-dust-jacket]

Congratulations to the 2023 winner and honorees of the Coretta Scott King (Author) Awards! 

[winningthesweepstakes]

We Could Fly by Rhiannon Giddens, illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu

We Could Fly by Rhiannon Giddens, illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu. Candlewick Press, 2023. 9781536222548 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4 Format: Hardcover picture book What did you like about the book? A book tying the past, the present, and the future together. We meet a mother and daughter pair who are exploring the importance of the lessons that their ancestral…

[nonesuchrecords]

Rhiannon Giddens’s second book, We Could Fly, is out now on Candlewick Press. The picture book, a companion to her debut book, Build a House, gives wing to a tale of grace and transcendence, with illustrations by acclaimed artist Briana Mukodiri Uchendu. The new book draws on lyrics from the song “We Could Fly,” which Giddens wrote with Dirk Powell and recorded for her 2017 Nonesuch album, Freedom Highway. To coincide with the book's release, she has released this lyric video for the song featuring Briana Mukodiri Uchendu's artwork.

[winningthesweepstakes]

The Talk by Alicia D. Williams, illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu

The Talk by Alicia D. Williams, illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu

The Talk by Alicia D. Williams, illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2022. 9781534495296 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 5 Format: Hardcover picture book What did you like about the book? In this book we get to meet Jay and his friends. Jay and his friends love to do all the things that other kids their age love to do: playing outside,…

[nonesuchrecords]

Rhiannon Giddens has announced the first two of four planned picture books she will publish with Candlewick Press and the Walker Books Group. Representing her publishing debut and showcasing the illustrative talents of emerging Black artists Monica Mikai and Briana Mukodiri Uchendu, the new picture books—Build a House (2022) and We Could Fly (2023)—will extend her artistic project to young readers and their families. "I'm so excited to get to explore a different way to tell the stories I’ve been trying to highlight with my songs and my music," Giddens says. You can sign up to receive e-mails about the projects here.