top of page
SHANA KELLER
Author
Do You Know Them?
After the war ended, everyone was missing someone. Lettie was missing her family. They had been sold and lost long before enslavement was abolished. Every week, she read the advertisements in the newspapers to her congregation. Lettie was determined to find her loved ones too. She saved every penny she earned, but not to buy candy or toys. She saved for something better--something that would bring her whole family together. Moving and triumphant, Lettie's story is inspired by the actual "lost" ads that were printed in newspapers after the Civil War ended.
The Peach Pit Parade
When Polly's father goes overseas to fight in World War I, her whole world changes. Though the war is in Europe, its effects are felt on American soil. There are food, fuel, and other supply shortages everywhere. Even something as simple and enjoyable as a family Sunday car ride isn't possible anymore. Everyone must do their part to help the war effort. Victory gardens are planted and scrap metal is collected. "It's the biggest event in our history. And it involves every single adult, every single boy, and every single girl," says Polly's teacher. As Polly struggles to make sense of the war, she wonders how she can contribute. When the government puts out a notice requesting peach pits to be used in gas mask filters, Polly knows how she can help.
Bread for Words
Frederick Douglass knew where he was born but not when. He knew his grandmother but not his father. And as a young child, there were other questions, such as Why am I a slave? Answers to those questions might have eluded him but Douglass did know for certain that learning to read and to write would be the first step in his quest for freedom and his fight for equality. Told from first-person perspective, this picture-book biography draws from the real-life experiences of a young Frederick Douglass and his attempts to learn how to read and write. Author Shana Keller (Ticktock Banneker's Clock) personalizes the text for young readers, using some of Douglass's own words. The lyrical title comes from how Douglass "paid" other children to teach him.
Fly, Firefly!
Based on an event witnessed by nature writer and ecologist Rachel Carson (The Sea Around Us and Silent Spring), where a firefly attempts to join its 'family' in the ocean, this lyrical story written in verse perfectly illustrates the wonder and delight the natural world offers those who pay close enough attention. Back matter includes science facts about fireflies and bioluminescence, as well as information about Carson’s life.
Ticktock Banneker's Clock
Throughout his life, Benjamin Banneker was known and admired for his work in science, mathematics, and astronomy, just to name a few pursuits. Inspired by a pocket watch he had seen, at the age of 22 he built a striking clock based on his own drawings and using a pocketknife. This picture book biography focuses on one episode in a remarkable life.
bottom of page