By Ariyana GriffinAFRO Workers Writeragriffin@afro.com
Shadra Strickland celebrates the traditionally Black custom of double dutch along with her new youngsters’s e book, “Soar In!”
The writer and illustrator held a learn alongside at The Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Waverly department on Sept 28 to work together with younger readers and their households. Strickland’s e book highlights the significance of a group at play collectively, with vibrant illustrations that present younger and previous bonding by way of the facility of the bounce rope.
Strickland instructed the AFRO that artwork has all the time been part of her life, she studied design, writing, and illustration at Syracuse College and furthered her training by incomes her grasp’s on the Faculty of Visible Arts in New York Metropolis.
Strickland’s work has earned many awards, together with the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award in 2010, the identical 12 months she gained an NAACP Picture Award. She has additionally obtained the Ashley Bryan Kids’s Literature Award, which she earned in 2011.
Strickland has labored on a number of books as an illustrator, and shared that “Soar In!” allowed all of her inventive passions to collide.
“I used to be in a position to mix all of these abilities – writing, illustration and graphic design to return collectively and create books,” she mentioned.
The inspiration for “Soar In!” got here from Strickland’s personal recollections and experiences of being outdoors along with her pals at college and having fun with recess, which was a time she seemed ahead to– particularly being an solely little one.
“I spent a whole lot of time enjoying alone,” she mentioned. “One of many issues that was all the time actually thrilling about going to high school was with the ability to have recess and go outdoors and play with my pals.”
Strickland mentioned at some point she got here throughout a industrial that referred to as up nostalgic recollections of her childhood. She determined to write down a e book concerning the joys of enjoying outdoors as a child in hopes of inspiring different youngsters and other people to get outdoors and play.
“I hope that they will see themselves in these characters – I hope that it evokes them to need to go outdoors and play,” mentioned Strickland.
The e book serves as an invite to all individuals to play collectively. She shared that the range within the e book is a mirrored image of the varied neighborhood she grew up in as a baby and the world she lives in at this time.
“This e book significantly is an invite for everyone,” Strickland instructed the AFRO. “All individuals, of various ages, genders– everyone– can come on the playground.”
