Book: BROWN IS WARM

Brown Is Warm

Posted by Sarah L. Thomson on Feb 4, 2020 in Book: BROWN IS WARM, Children's Literature, Illustration | 0 comments

So excited that Erin Robinson will be illustrating my new picture book with Little, Brown, called Brown Is Warm, Black Is Bright! Her style is sophisticated yet warm, rich and full of emotion–I’m so thrilled to see the book this will become!

Goodbye to Poetry Workshops (for now)

Posted by Sarah L. Thomson on Dec 7, 2018 in Book: BROWN IS WARM, Race, School Visits, SERIES: Imagine | 0 comments

I posted a while back about the fact that the Imagine series has no people of color in the illustrations–not a single one in three books. And about the fact that I didn’t notice this until my daughter pointed it out.

(I’m still pretty embarrassed about that.)

After thinking it over, I’ve decided that I won’t be offering school visits or poetry workshops using these books anymore. I can’t change the artwork or the fact that the books are on the shelves, but I can decide not to actively promote them.

I’ll be sorry to take these poetry workshops out of my repertoire. I’ve always had such a good time encouraging kids to look deeply at and react to Rob Gonsalves’s innovative, intricate art. I’ve had teachers actually blown away by the poetry their students produced. But I just don’t feel right about using books that offer such a narrow vision of the world.

I do hope that my new book, Brown Is Warm, Black is Bright, will be the basis for some excellent poetry workshops when it comes out from Little, Brown. I’ll just have to wait until then.

New Book!

Posted by Sarah L. Thomson on Aug 9, 2018 in Book: BROWN IS WARM | 0 comments

Little, Brown has accepted a new picture book manuscript called Brown Is Warm, Black Is Bright, all about the joys and beauties of these two gorgeous colors. (Ever noticed how often books on color actually leave out brown and black? What’s up with that?) I’m so happy this book has found a home! Can’t wait to hear who the illustrator will be.

Here is my favorite stanza. (Picture a child curled up in bed with a beloved pet.)

Brown is warm
and soft and breathing
curled up next to me.