Books for (and by) Children

Say Their Names

Reycraft Books and D.C. Author Caroline Brewer are excited to announce the release of a new 32-page picture book conceived on Black Lives Matter Plaza and written from a child’s perspective.

In Say Their Names, 7-year-old Aliya treats the aftermath of George Floyd’s death with poetry, history, and a love-inspired vision for the future. Brewer says centering the voice of children was critical. “After I arrived at Black Lives Matter Plaza, I started to meditate on everything that surrounded me. Soon I heard the voice of a child,” Brewer says. “When Aliya spoke, she kept saying ‘Imagine.’ So, in Say Their Names, Aliya invites us to consider the technologies that mankind has imagined to make life more convenient and entertaining. And she invites us to consider the technology of imagination to make life and human engagement less violent, indeed, non-violent.”

Order Your Copies Today and contact Caroline to schedule virtual or in-person talks for your school, library, youth group, non-profit institution, or business.

 

Darius Daniels: GameOn!

Darius Daniels: Game On! is a middle-grade rhythmic novel about an 11-year-old boy, a video game, and a great and scary adventure the boy cannot escape – until he hurts somebody.

was his name, you see, and he was on the Edge. Family and friends on one side, Getting together at his home. Him on the other, sometimes feeling alone, In a game world that made his head swirl. Jammed up his brain and rained Karate chops and knocked him for a Loop. He didn’t see it coming that Morning. Should have been a warning, but No. Oops.

To complete the journey with D, readers will get the joy of crossing a sea of wordplay. This book is chock-full of rhythm, rhyme, raps, riddles, and more than 10 forms of poetry.

Email Caroline Brewer to place your order. $13.95 per book.

You also can pick up Darius Daniels: Game On! by ordering through any bookstore in the country and many worldwide, including Amazon.com

 

“Wonderful story! Not to be missed. Want to get kids to read, this is a great place to start! Especially those reluctant boys. Congratulations, Caroline!

Eileen Robinson Reycraft Books

“Darius Daniels is an inspiring superhero for children of all ages. Caroline Brewer has given us a young boy of intelligence, genius and terrific imagination. I would follow Darius anywhere!"

Marita Golden Award-winning Author

“Caroline is a master storyteller; her voice and style are a breath of fresh air! You are going to love Darius and the rest of his cre and laugh out loud at all the fun, silly jokes here. Yay for Caroline!  Game on, indeed!”

Amy Tipton Feral Girl Books

"Caroline Brewer has written a book that provides the tools that our children need in the language that they can encompass now. Ms. Brewer's work captures poetic language in all of its rich array of poetic possibilities...not only the rap, but the Pulitzer Prize-winning form. It celebrates haikus, limericks, sonnets, blues, and spirituals, the acrobatics of language rhythm and movement that we showcase in our communities every day. Darius Daniels: Game On! should be in every classroom."

Karen Wilson-Ama'Echefu, Ph.D Washington, D.C.

"Caroline Brewer's Darius Daniels: Game On is definitely the power-up that re-energizes the idiom, 'Life is a game.' Which it is for Darius, who takes on the pixelated world of his imagination to battle monsters both on screen and internally. This easy-to-read series moves quick. The language is playful and sure to get young people excited about reading."

Alan King Maryland

Kara Finds Sunshine on a Rainy Day

Kara Finds Sunshine on a Rainy Day is a picture book about hope, healing, and discovering heroes around us and within. Little Kara awakens one morning to a sky raining "cats and dogs." She rushes to complain to her mother that the rain has disrupted her plans to go outside to play. Her mother responds by telling her that she doesn't need to get upset because, in reality, "the sun is always shining." When Kara seeks to learn more about unending sunshine, her mom answers by sharing rhyming stories about historical figures and ordinary people, of a wide variety of races and backgrounds, from across the globe, who found or made "sunshine" in difficult times. This special edition was written to support children and families who survived the devastating Hurricane Katrina in 2005. A child psychiatrist has called Kara Finds Sunshine "a voyage to resiliency." A cultural historian suggests it's a powerful education in the "habit of love." 

Purchase

"This book is extraordinary. It pours light on the incredible heroisms around us. When we are in darkness, we can’t see the greatness that is fully evident when the light is turned on. As humans, we often are shown the very worst of ourselves. But Kara Finds Sunshine shows us what we can do and be, and what so many of us have done and are doing to reclaim the beauty of the name human."

Karen Wilson-Ama'Echefu Washington, D.C.

"Thank you, Caroline and friends. You guys changed my life around. I will cherish this book forever and ever."

Miles (Age 12) New Jersey

"Although it was ‘raining cats and dogs’ on the day of your visit (to read Kara Finds Sunshine on a Rainy Day), you all pulled back the clouds of devastation from Hurricane Katrina, and helped us realize that ‘the sun is always shining."

Gail Williams New Orleans

Barack Obama: A Hip Hop Tale of King's Dream Come True

Barack Obama: A Hip Hop Tale of King's Dream Come True by Caroline Brewer and Glenn Brewer

 

 

 

Barack Obama: A Hip Hop Tale of King's Dream Come True is a humorous, satirized and fictionalized account of the presidential campaign of Barack Obama. Its swift-moving rhymes, rhythm and drama entertain while educating children about one of the most important events in world history. The brightly illustrated 32-page book ultimately reveals President Obama's powerful connection to the enduring legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement he so honorably and courageously led.

 

Purchase

“I have been amazed at what this book has done not only to teach my 2nd graders about President Obama’s historic road to the White House but also at how it has taught my children to become much better readers. Some of my best days teaching have been with this book.”

Marni Barron Veteran Teacher and Instructional Coach

“I would use this book on my booklist for book reports and oral reports. It can be used to teach Language Arts and Social Studies standards. The voting process could be taught. Students could research the red and blue states, and create a variety of maps, which would cover Science standards... They could write a song based on the book (Music)... There’s no limit!”

Barbara Taylor Cook Head Teacher, New Orleans, LA

 

C is for CocoaC is for Cocoa

C is for Cocoa is an exciting and unique alphabet book about Ghana, West Africa, and the people, food, plants, and animals in its environment, based on suggestions by the third-grade students of Timber Junction-Nkwanta School in Konko Village, in the Eastern Region. C is for Cocoa was featured in the Idris Elba major motion picture, Beasts of No Nation. Every purchase is a donation that allows us to donate this book to Konko Village children and other school children in Ghana.

Purchase

"C is for Cocoa is an inspired idea - helping kids build their own book out of things they value in their own environment. It is so rhythmic, colorful, and upbeat that kids should enjoy it not only in Ghana but all over the world."

Gary Ratner Maryland

"C is for Cocoa takes you on a tour to wake up your senses and inspire your curiosity. It taught me so much about Ghana! And the fact that it helps children in Africa learn to read and receive meals means it's a book that will never stop giving, and I feel really good about being a part of that."

Christian Dorsica Virginia

 

For the Obamas: A Big Book of Thank Yous

For the Obamas: A Big Book of Thank Yous

A thank you letter to the students from President Obama! Sugar, spice, and a whole lot of nice. Precious words you'll want to read more than twice. That's what you'll find in this sweet, funny, and insightful book of nearly 300 thank-you cards and letters for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. Concord Elementary School students, from pre-K to 6th grade, poured their hearts and souls into expressing how much they appreciate the Obamas for their service to our country. Every purchase helps pay the costs of producing the book and of providing free copies for students.

Purchase


 

Books for Parents and Teachers

The Happy Teacher and Happy Students

The Happy Teacher Training Manual by Caroline Brewer with Joshua I. SmithThe Happy Teacher and Happy Students training manual is a powerful and empowering toolkit of strategies that puts the joy back into teaching and learning while helping teachers anywhere in the world meet learning standards.

Purchase

“The Happy Teacher is a must for all educators intent on improving instruction, reaching the seemingly disconnected student, and creating magic within the classroom.”

Cheryl Thomas Veteran English Teacher

"The Happy Teacher is a gem of a system that trains teachers and awakens students in developing the LOVE to read and write as it builds proficiency in both. Rarely are those two objectives combined in an educational program.”

Prof. Carol Manigault Felician College, New Jersey

 

Parent Power: How to Raise a Reading Superstar

Parent Power: How to Raise a Reading Superstar by Caroline BrewerParent Power: How to Raise a Reading Superstar is for parents, guardians, tutors, church and community workers – any adult who wants to help children or teens improve their ability to read and write – and do it while having outrageous fun! Regardless of age, grade level, or background, whether a child is diagnosed with a learning disability, emotional disability, is taking medication, hasn’t warmed up to books or is hostile to them, Parent Power provides keys to a reading revolution.

Purchase

“This book is great!!! My wife and I used the reading strategies to help our daughter with her reading. It was our hope that this book would be a tool that we could use to build her confidence, and it did just that. We watched her go from not wanting to read to looking forward to her daily reading time. She has truly developed a love for reading."

Curtis Head Parent

“When I finished reading this book, I simply said, 'WOW!' This is a powerful tool that every parent and teacher should read."

Kimmoly Rice-Ogletree Former PTA President, Baltimore, MA

 

Having Fun Teaching Math

Having Fun Teaching Math is a handbook designed for teachers, trainers, and tutors to use in the classroom and in one-on-one work with children, and for parents to deepen their understanding and skills of how to support their children as learners first, and then as young people capable of reaching the highest heights in the study and application of Mathematics. The book also will help adults improve their use of community resources and services that support children’s educational development.

Purchase


 

Why I Teach

Why I Teach is an inspirational meditation on the profound joys, promises, and potential of teaching. Part One is a poem, followed by a journal in Part Two. The journal allows the teacher to reflect and record daily personal teaching experiences throughout a school year in the cause of becoming a happier, more effective, and soul-centered teacher. The book also is an unabashed celebration of teachers and the teaching profession; a hymn of hope, harmony, and healing during these difficult times.

Purchase