While the I’m Your Neighbor Books’ immigration engagement tools —like the Welcoming Library —are used across the nation, our organization also works in the New Arrival/New American-rich city of Portland, Maine where we are based.
We are proud to be a partner of Indigo Arts Alliance in the creation of the Beautiful Blackbird Children’s Book Festival. The festival is named in honor of the legendary Black picture book creator Ashley Bryan and his classic picture book Beautiful Blackbird. Watch artist and Indigo Arts Alliance co-founder Daniel Minter launch the event with Ashley Bryan!
The festival, a celebration of children’s books of the African diaspora, will feature When the Stars are Scattered by Somali American author and refugee advocate Omar Mohamed and Victoria Jamieson (Random House) and Wherever I Go by Ghanaian American art professor and illustrator Munir D. Mohammed and Mary Wagley Copp (SimonKids).
I’m Your Neighbor Books is thrilled that 250 copies of each book will be given away to Maine children served by the Portland Housing Authority and Portland Parks & Recreation. These children, mostly from New Arrival or New American families, will receive books that share their experience written by creators that also share that experience. Priceless.
I’ll be sharing videos and engagement tools for these Beautiful Blackbird-featured books as the summer-long festival progresses.
It is because of your moral and material support of I’m Your Neighbor Books that projects like this can happen. Thank you.
To support the Beautiful Blackbird Children’s Book Festival directly, you can make a contribution HERE.
