This week, we're talking with creators who saw a void in the marketplace: books with black girls as the heroines. Marley Dias, a 13-year-old from New Jersey who has been hailed as someone who "could be president in 30 years" by InStyle, is the founder of the #1000BlackGirlBooks hashtag andthe ensuing movement. We talk with her about her own book, Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You and Suzanne gets a little hosting help from Scholastic News Kid Reporter Titus Smith, III.
Later on, we sit down with Kelly Greenawalt and Amariah Rauscher, the creators of the indomitable, inventive, and adorable Princess Truly. Kelly tells us that she started writing the Princess Truly picture books for her own daughter who was once told by a classmate that her curls weren't "magical princess hair."
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Additional Resources:
- Learn more about Marley Dias Gets it Done: And So Can You
- Learn more about Marley Dias and her campaign #1000BlackGirlBooks
- Learn more about Princess Truly
Guests:
- Marley Dias made headlines as a sixth grader when she started the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign to collect children's books featuring black protagonists. Her initiative led to appearances on The Nightly Show, Today, CBS This Morning, and many more. Marley has been featured in the New York Times, has been recognized as a "21 under 21" ambassador for Teen Vogue, is an editor in residence for Elle.com, and launched a national literacy tour in partnership with the White House. Marley lives in New Jersey with her parents.
- Kelly Greenawalt is a children's book author, wife, and mother of five living just outside Houston, Texas. Princess Truly was inspired by her daughters, Calista and Kaia, who are smart and spunky, and who have magical curls of their own.
- Amariah Rauscher is an artist and illustrator specializing in watercolor illustration. She lives with her husband and children in Illinois.
Special thanks:
- Hosts: Suzanne McCabe and Titus Smith III
- Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl
- Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Christopher Johnson
- Produced by Emily Morrow
