GENRE: **Diverse, Character Driven
WORDS: 435
Query:
I’m contacting you because of the interest in fresh new voices and perspectives underrepresented in literature. I have written a four hundred thirty-five-word picture book, The Nod. The book is intended for children four to eight years old.
An inquisitive eight-year-old boy experiences the power of the “nod” and the history of this simple gesture in the African-American community from his Daddy and PopPop. Like Crown: An Ode to a Fresh Cut and Soul Food Sunday, The Nod presents a subtle but impactful tradition passed down from generation to generation in the African-American community as a way of asking, “Bruh are you okay?”
I am a member of SCBWI and Black Creators Headquarters. I co-wrote a picture book, Family Reunion, that was published June 2021 by Barefoot Books. My goal is to tell stories kids of color, specifically, African American boys, can see themselves and their experiences on the pages of a book. I want them to say, “Yup, I matter.”
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me. Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you.
Excerpt:
Up and down.
Never left to right. Or right to left.
Daddy gives a nod of his head to strangers.
But why?
I understand saying hello or hi.
Asking what’s up?
Or even a fist bump. Not too hard or too light.
But a head nod?
“Daddy, who was that man?”
“Nico, I don’t know but I do.”
Some folks are double nodders
Two shakes of the head.
What inspired you to write this story & what do you have in common with it:
When my children were younger, they would always ask me who a man was after I threw him a head nod. I would shrug my shoulders and say, “I don’t know.” They would look like a confused puppy. As I thought about it, I learned about this tradition from watching my dad and older brother (who by the way is the master of the double head nod). My writing will always reflect the black experience and I hope it will provide a glimpse for all into African-American culture.
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