“It’s important for people to understand that there is more than one immigrant experience, there is more than one Jamaican-American experience. There are so many.” –Alliah L. Agostini
Today’s conversation is filled with joy, energy, and tons of fun!!!! Alliah and I chat about courage, the early 90s, the multitude of immigrant experiences, writing in rhyme, and what it can mean to see yourself in a book!
Today’s Picture Book: Big Tune: Rise of the Dancehall Prince by Alliah L. Agostini and illustrated by Shamar Knight-Justice
Alliah is the author of The Juneteenth Story: Celebrating the End of Slavery in the United States, the upcoming Oprah Winfrey: A Little Golden Book Biography, and Junior Library Guild Selection BIG TUNE: Rise of the Dancehall Prince, which has received starred reviews from Kirkus and Publisher's Weekly. A proud member of KidLit in Color, Black Creators HQ, the Picture Book Sunrays, and SCBWI, Alliah and her work have been featured on CNN, the TODAY Show, GoodHousekeeping, and more. Alliah resides in New Jersey where she enjoys impromptu dance parties, fossil hunting, and making up corny jokes with her husband and two children. She has an A.B. and an M.B.A. from Harvard.
Book Description: An exuberant picture book about a Black boy with big dancing dreams who learns the meaning of courage and community.
It's the weekend, first in June; speaker's blasting out big tune!
Cousins, aunties, uncles, friends pack the house, and fun begins.
Shane is shy but loves to dance--and all year long, he's picked up cans
to earn some money toward his goal: high-tops with a pump-up sole.
But then the speaker blows--it's done! Will this stop his family's fun?
Can Shane come through to save the day and bring back Big Tune Saturday?
Set within a vibrant Caribbean American neighborhood and told to a rhythmic beat, Big Tune is a story of Black boy joy that touches on determination, confidence to express who you are, selflessness, and community gratitude.
Please consider supporting your local independent booksellers by purchasing Big Tune. Find a store here: https://www.indiebound.org/
Other mentions in this episode:
The Juneteenth Story: Celebrating the End of Slavery in the United States by Alliah L. Agostini and illustrated by Sawyer Cloud AND Oprah Winfrey: A Little Golden Book Biography by Alliah L. Agostini and illustrated by Tara Nicole Whitaker
Questions/Activities for further engagement based on the discussion:
1. What is the one thing that you wish that you had the courage to do, the one thing that is the best reflection of you, but you don’t yet have the courage to do? Or that you wished you had the courage to do as a child?
2. How do we create safe spaces so that the people that are around us feel like they have the courage to try these things. How do we create environments where people feel like they can be themselves?
To subscribe to Patrice's newsletter and receive your gift, please visit: www.patricegopo.com/subscribe