another new book!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Dayshaun’s Gift by Zetta Elliott

“The ‘trouble’ with magic, as it is represented in much of children’s literature, is that it appears to exist in realms to which only certain children belong.” ~ Zetta Elliott, “The Trouble with Magic: Conjuring the Past in New York City Parks,” Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures, Winter 2013

“The erasure of Black youth from children’s literature… functions as a kind of “symbolic annihilation.” Despite the fact that the majority of primary school children in the U.S. are now kids of color, the publishing industry continues to produce books that overwhelmingly feature white children only. The message is clear: the lives of kids of color don’t matter.” ~ Zetta Elliott, “Black Authors and Self-Publishing,” School Library Journal, 3/16/15

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Summer vacation has just begun and Dayshaun wants to spend Saturday morning playing his new video game. But Dayshaun’s mother has other plans: she volunteers at a nearby community garden and that means Dayshaun has to volunteer, too. When Dayshaun puts on his grandfather’s grubby old gardening hat, something unexpected happens—the hands of time turn backward and Dayshaun finds himself in the free Black community of Weeksville during the summer of 1863! While helping the survivors of the New York City Draft Riots, Dayshaun meets a frail old man who entrusts him with a precious family heirloom. But will this gift help Dayshaun find his way back to the 21st century? Book #2 in the City Kids series.

DAYSHAUN’S GIFT takes readers back in time to the sweltering summer of 1863 when New York City exploded—not for the first time—with racial tension. Dayshaun learns about the importance of urban farming and self-sufficient communities when refugees from the draft riots seek sanctuary in the free Black community of Weeksville. This story blends the magic of time travel with local African American history, introducing young readers to neglected historical figures like Susan Smith (the first African American woman doctor in NY State). In the era of Black Lives Matter, DAYSHAUN’S GIFT offers children important context for understanding urban uprisings, the ongoing struggle for social justice, and the universal desire to belong.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Zetta Elliott’s first picture book, BIRD, won Lee & Low’s New Voices honor award and was published in 2008; it was named an ALA Notable Book, Best of the Year by Kirkus, and went on to win the Paterson Prize for Poetry as well. Elliott’s next two books, both historical fantasy novels, were published by Skyscape. A WISH AFTER MIDNIGHT (2010) is a time-travel novel set in Civil War-era Brooklyn. SHIP OF SOULS (2012) blends magic and Brooklyn’s Revolutionary War history; Booklist named it a Top Ten Sci-Fi/Fantasy title.

Zetta Elliott has published several illustrated picture books and middle grade novels under her own Rosetta Press imprint; ROOM IN MY HEART (2014) was named a Best Children’s Book of the Year by Bank Street College of Education, and THE PHOENIX ON BARKLEY STREET (City Kids Book #1) was selected by the Children’s Defense Fund for their 2014 summer literacy program.

Zetta Elliott is also a scholar of children’s literature and recently won the Children’s Literature Association’s Article Award for her essay “The Trouble with Magic: Conjuring the Past in New York City Parks” (PDF available upon request). She has worked with urban youth for over 25 years, and was a Black Studies professor for close to a decade. For the past five years Elliott has spoken often and openly about the need for greater diversity in publishing; her latest essay was for School Library Journal.

Born and raised in Canada, Zetta Elliott has lived in the US for over twenty years. She earned her PhD in American Studies from NYU in 2003. Her poetry has been published in several anthologies, and her plays have been staged in NYC, Chicago, and Cleveland. Elliott served as the inaugural writer-in-residence at Weeksville Heritage Center in the spring of 2015. She currently lives in Brooklyn.

ABOUT ROSETTA PRESS:

Rosetta Press is committed to publishing books that reveal, explore, and foster a Black feminist vision of the world. Rosetta Press publishes books for children with the following objectives:

To generate culturally relevant stories that center children who have been marginalized, misrepresented, and/or rendered invisible in children’s literature.
To produce affordable, high-quality books so that families—regardless of income—can build home libraries that will enhance their children’s academic success.
To produce a steady supply of compelling, diverse stories that will nourish the imagination and excite even reluctant readers.

Like all Rosetta Press titles, DAYSHAUN’S GIFT is available at zettaelliott.com, Amazon, Baker & Taylor, Ingram, and bookstores everywhere, including nonprofit Teaching for Change. E-book is available in the Kindle Store.

###

DAYSHAUN’S GIFT

By Zetta Elliott

Rosetta Press

Publication Date: September 20, 2015

Paperback; $7.00; 88 Pages

Age 8+