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Don Tate

Don Tate Picture
Don Tate is an award-winning author, and the illustrator of numerous critically acclaimed books for children. He is also one of the founding hosts of the blog The Brown Bookshelf  – a blog designed to push awareness of the myriad of African American voices writing for young readers, with book reviews, author and illustrator interviews -- and a one-time member of the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign, created to address the lack of diverse, non-majority narratives in children’s literature. Don’s books include Carter Reads The Newspaper (Peachtree Publishing, 2019), No Small Potatoes: Junius G. Groves and his Kingdom in Kansas (Knopf, 2018),  Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions (Charlesbridge, 2016), The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch (Eerdmans, 2015) and many others. He is also the author of Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton (Peachtree,2015); It Jes’ Happened: When Bill Traylor Started To Draw (Lee & Low Books, 2102), both books are Ezra Jack Keats award winners, and recently, Strong As Sandow: How Eugen Sandow Became The Strongest Man on Earth (Charlesbridge, 2017), Par-Tay! Dance of the Veggies (and their friends), written by Eloise Greenfield (Alazar, 2018), and Stalebread Charlie and the Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band, written by Michael Mahin (Clarion, 2018). Don’s latest titles include William Still and his Freedom Stories: Father of the Underground Railroad (Peachtree Publishing Company, Nov. 2020), and Swish! The Slam-Dunking, Alley-Ooping, High-Flying Harlem Globetrotters, written by Suzanne Slade (Little Brown, Nov. 2020). He lives in Austin, Texas, with his family.

Don's Process & Artifacts

Listen to Don Tate talk about how he got the idea for William Still and His Freedom Stories, and how, as both the author and illustrator, he went back and forth between text and illustrations as he worked. The artifacts demonstrate his process of planning and revision. He also discusses:
  • The role of primary and secondary sources in his research
  • Deciding what to include and what to leave out
  • The need for stories about Black agency in the ongoing  struggle for equality

Don's Books

Swish!: The Salm-Dunking, Alley-Ooping, High-Flying Harlem Globetrotters
William Still and his Freedom Stories Cover
Carter Reads the Newspaper
No Small Potatoes Cover
Stalebread Charlie Cover
Strong as Sandow Cover
Par-tay! Cover
Been There Done That Cover
Whoosh Cover
Poet Cover
John Lynch Cover
The Cart that Carried Martin Cover
Hope's Gift Cover
It Jes' Happened Cover
Duke Ellington's Nutcracker Suite Cover
She Loved Baseball Cover
Ron's Big Mission Cover

Other Interviews and Resources about Don

  • Don Tate and the True Story (Lone Star Listens 2020)
  • William Still and His Freedom Stories (Here Wee Read 2020)
  • Author & Illustrator Interview: Carter Reads the Newspaper (Peachtree 2019)
  • The Brown Bookshelf
  • Faculty Interview (Highlights Foundation 2016)
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  • Home
  • About Our Work
    • Principles & Framework
  • Picture books
    • Above the Rim
    • Building Zaha
    • Classified
    • Eleanor Makes Her Mark
    • Make Meatballs Sing
    • Otis and Will Discover the Deep
    • Queen of Physics
    • Sharuko
    • Soldier for Equality
    • The Cat Man of Aleppo
    • Voice of Freedom
    • What Do You Do with a Voice Like That?
    • William Still and His Freedom Stories
  • Chapter Books
    • Almost Astronauts
    • Maritcha
    • She Persisted: Claudette Colvin
  • Authors/Illustrators
    • Chris Barton
    • Tonya Bolden
    • Carole Boston Weatherford
    • Monica Brown
    • Jen Bryant
    • Matthew Burgess
    • Lesa Cline-Ransome
    • Natasha Donovan
    • Edwin Fotheringham
    • Rebecca Huang
    • Barbar Kerley
    • Irene Latham
    • Teresa Robeson
    • Barb Rosenstock
    • Katherine Roy
    • Traci Sorell
    • Tanya Lee Stone
    • Victoria Tentler-Krylov
    • Duncan Tonatiuh
    • Don Tate
  • Collection
  • Stories from the Classroom
    • Teacher Contributors
  • Additional Resources
  • About Us
  • Contact Us