JANUARY 12, 2027 – HarperCollins.
Illustrated by LONDON LADD
ABOUT THE BOOK
In this companion picture book to Black Gold, the NAACP Image Award winner, Laura Obuobi and Society of Illustrators’ honoree London Ladd team up to tell a story that celebrates Black life, brims with black joy, and instills an important message about Black resilience.
Black is precious.
Black is holy.
Black is powerful.
Black is many things, and its magnificence can be found all throughout the world. It’s in obsidian, in the rolling fields of calla lilies, and the birth of the universe. Most importantly, Black is a people whose strength, grace, and resilience would foster change, creativity, and a culture from which would emerge a world that would never be the same and a community whose genius continues to inspire all. Despite everything that Black people have endured, they are still present—living and thriving. Powerhouse duo Laura Obuobi and London Ladd return with another poignant, lyrical text that celebrates all that being Black is, positively reinforcing the magnitude of possibilities that being Black can—and will—be. With its important themes, Black Is will enchant young readers with events and achievements by people in Black history and the Black diaspora, like uprisings, innovations in culture, entertainment, literature, including civil rights work by West Africans, Caribbeans, and Black Americans.
JANUARY 21, 2025 – HarperCollins.
Illustrated by OLIVIA DUCHESS
ABOUT THE BOOK
From Laura Obuobi, acclaimed author of NAACP Image Award nominee Black Gold and What Love Looks Like, comes a triumphant nonfiction picture book about ballet star Michaela Mabinty DePrince, one of the most celebrated ballerinas of our generation. This lyrical true tale follows her childhood, from Sierra Leone orphan to world famous dancer.
REVIEWS
“This picture book offers a tale of inspiration, perseverance, and triumph for a dedicated Black ballerina.” — Booklist
“An uplifting reminder to jeté toward your dreams.” — Kirkus
An Indie Next List title for July/August 2024 – Indie Next List and titles, are based on votes by booksellers at independent bookstores across the country. (Thank you, Booksellers!)
JUNE 18, 2024 – HarperCollins.
Illustrated by Anna Cunha
REVIEWS
“Just gorgeous. And magical. I love the journey that she goes on with her father. There is a little nod to Where the Wild Things Are — a safer, gentler version, but filled with imagination no less.” — Jessica Devin, Brewster Book Store, Brewster, MA
“What Love Looks Like will make an excellent bedtime story or a way to stretch your imagination and practice mindfulness….Perfect for readers who love Kate Messner’s Once Upon a Book or Micha Archer’s Daniel Finds a Poem; I can’t wait to share this with kids and grown ups too!” — Johanna Albrecht, McIntyres Books, Pittsboro, NC
“Cunha’s artwork is so captivating [and is] perfectly balanced by author Laura Obuobi’s beautiful, well-chosen descriptions told with a storyteller’s sensibility. Obuobi’s writing begs to be read aloud and savored. Not many offerings are so well-matched in their text and art. Indeed, Cunha and Obuobi deliver the embodiment of What Love Looks Like: beautiful things to look at, gentle words before bedtime and someone dear to share them with.” — Jill Lorenzini, Book Page Starred Review
54th NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Literary Work, February 2023
OCTOBER 11, 2022 – HarperCollins.
Illustrated by London Ladd
REVIEWS
“Lyrical, empowering, and inspiring. An affirmation of the miracle each individual is.”— Yamile Saied Méndez, author of Where Are You From? and What Will You Be.
“Obuobi pens an origin story that’s at once earthly and impressively cosmic. Alternating between mythical scenes of creation and naturalistic portraits of a growing child, Ladd combines acrylic paint, cut paper, and tissue paper to create dynamic, starlit imagery, launching Obuobi’s astral prose into the stars.” — Publishers Weekly Starred Review
“This emotionally charged tale has the power of a strong embrace. Ladd’s acrylic paint and collage artwork is richly textured, layered with color and shadow for an intense visual treat full of movement and depth. A stunning work of art.” — Kirkus Starred Review
“Reminiscent of creation myths collected in Virginia Hamilton’s In the Beginning (1988), This original creation story will appeal to fans of Spillet-Summer and Goade’s I Sang You Down from the Stars and Charles and Collier’s All Because You Matter.” — Horn Book Starred Review
“A cosmic origin story filled with beauty and strength.” — Booklist Review
“The mixed media art uses rich, saturated colors and striking imagery to embody the depth of an infinite cosmos, bringing the text to life.” — School Library Journal