Jean, describe yourself—

Formerly an attorney, I am a professional writer with a focus on writing for children, middle graders, and young adults. I am also an editor, essayist, writing instructor, and grant writer. While wearing each of these hats is fulfilling in its own way, I find my greatest joy in writing for youth and young adults.

How do you find time to connect with God?

My most focused time with God is during my morning prayer and devotional time. I find that if I do not have this one-on-one time in the morning, it gets crowded out of my day. So, I make sure that either before or after my morning physical exercise routine, I have my private time with God.

Do you have a favorite Bible verse/quote you wish to share?

One of my favorite Bible verses is Philippians 4:8—Finally brethren, whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, if there is any excellence, anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.

This verse is a good reminder for writers—our job, in whatever we write, should be to lift up and not drag down the reader.

Tell us about your current books.

My most recent book—Who’s Jim Hines?—is based upon real events in my family’s history. It is a coming of age story where twelve-year-old Douglas Ford, Jr. comes to terms with the racial realities of Depression-era Detroit. However, my current books also include the Joe Joe in the City series. In each volume of this series, ten-year-old Joe Joe Rawlings learns life lessons when he reads about heroes from African American history. In Just Call Me Joe Joe, he reads the history of the Negro Baseball Leagues; in I Have a Dream, Too! Joe Joe reads about Mary McLeod Bethune; in I’ll Fly My Own Plane he learns about the Tuskegee Airmen; and in I’ll Do the Right Thing, he discovers the legacy of Ralph Bunche.

What influenced you to write the Joe Joe in the City series?

My husband and I faced real concerns as parents raising two children in an urban environment. It was incumbent upon us to prepare our children to respond appropriately to negative peer pressure, racial stereotypes, and the pervasive drug and gang cultures. I wanted to address those concerns in a set of books for young readers that would be entertaining and edifying for the youngsters and a source of support and reinforcement for parents and other caregivers.

What valuable lessons do you want readers to learn from the Joe Joe in the City series?

Each volume in the Joe Joe in the City series offers a crucial lesson for youth, particularly urban youth. Joe Joe summons up the courage to return and face a local shopkeeper who accuses him of being a part of a gang that has just trashed his store in Just Call Me Joe Joe. In I Have a Dream, Too!, Joe Joe realizes that with hard work, dreams can come true. I’ll Fly My Own Plane finds Joe Joe turning away from an opportunity to make “quick, easy money.” And, Joe Joe learns the value of being a peacemaker in I’ll Do the Right Thing.

What’s next for you?

During 2010, I look forward to completing volume one of a trilogy of teen books. In addition, I will begin working on a companion book to Who Jim Hines?. I also have a full schedule of appearances at libraries, conferences, and museums throughout the spring. At these events, I look forward to connecting with readers of my books and the public at large.

Where can visitors find you online?

Online readers can contact me and find updates about my books and appearances via my website www.jeanaliciaelster.com. They can also find information about me at my publishers’ websites www.judsonpress.com and wsupress.wayne.edu/.

Nationally Renowned Editors and Illustrators Collaborate to Inspire Hope and Faith in Youth

Grand Rapids, MI (BlackNews.com) – In uncertain times, keeping hope and faith alive in our young people is a top priority. This fall, Zonderkidz(TM), the leading publisher of children’s Bibles and Bible storybooks, will underscore efforts by families, clergy, schools and others seeking to encourage Black youth with the release of My Holy Bible for African-American Children (www.zondervan.com/africanamerican), a large print, New International Version (NIV) Bible featuring culturally significant artwork and inspiring book introductions.

Edited by Cheryl and Wade Hudson, the nationally acclaimed authors and publishers of Just Us Books, My Holy Bible for African-American Children connects the spiritual challenges and triumphs of today’s youth with the journeys of well-known Biblical heroes. Leading African-American illustrators such as Pat Cummings, Nancy Devard, Shane Evans, Cathy Ann Johnson, Anna Rich, Javaka Steptoe and Michele Wood also engage readers with more than 30 pages of spellbinding art.

According to Marketing to the Mosaic, an October 2008 study conducted by the marketing strategy researchers Taylor and Welch, 96 percent of African-Americans polled indicated that they believed in God, with 95 percent reporting that they pray in a given week and 60 percent saying they read the Bible. These are rich traditions that Zonderkidz believes My Holy Bible for African-American Children can help families pass on to the next generation. "Our goal is to publish resources to help more African-American children explore God’s Word," said Annette Bourland, Zonderkidz Senior Vice President and Publisher. "And we believe that this one-of-its-kind full text Bible, both Old and New Testament, with its glorious illustrations, created just for the African-American community, emphasizes just how much God knows and loves them."

My Holy Bible for African-American Children (ISBN: 978-0-310-71964-9, $24.99, Hardcover, Print Caseside) will be available in October 2009 wherever books are sold in the NIV translation, the most-read, most-trusted Bible translation. It will be the first of a series of Bibles Zonderkidz will release that are focused on African-American youth. A King James Version (KJV) of My Holy Bible for African-American Children will be introduced in February 2010. This offering will be coupled with new NIV and KJV Bibles for African-American teens. The NIV and KJV Bibles for African-American Teens will be available with gender specific customized Italian Duotone(TM) covers in February 2010.

About the Contributing Editors

Married since 1972, Cheryl and Wade Hudson are cofounders of Just Us Books, an independent publishing company specializing in books and learning materials for children and young people. The company was founded in 1988, after a search for books that reflected the diversity of Black history, heritage and experiences proved disappointing. In response, the Hudsons published the AFRO BETS® A B C Book and followed up a year later with the release of a second title and their own publishing firm. Over the years, Just Us Books has published dozens of titles and received numerous prestigious awards, including the Publishers Marketing Association’s Ben Franklin Award for illustration given to Bright Eyes, Brown Skin in 1991 and From a Child’s Heart in 1994. In 2008, Just Us Books’ The Secret Olivia Told Me, was named a Coretta Scott King Honor Book for Illustration. The Hudsons have been honored for their contributions to literature with the Ida B. Wells Institutional Builders Award presented by the National Black Writers Conference. They have also become recognized leaders in the field of multicultural publishing. Both Hudsons are active in their church, where Wade Hudson serves as a deacon.

Zonderkidz(TM), a division of Zondervan, inspires young lives through imagination and innovation. As the leader in Christian children’s communications, it produces bestselling and award-winning Bibles, books, board books, graphic novels, audio, video, and digital products that awaken the hearts and touch the souls of kids under 16 and the people who love them, from family members to educators. Zonderkidz is the publisher of the NIrV (New International Reader’s Version) Bible translation, the 3rd-grade reading level edition of the NIV that is ideal for children and those who speak English as a second language. Visit Zonderkidz(TM) on the Internet at www.zonderkidz.com

Kevin Manning and his younger brother Jordan are new to Harriet Tubman Elementary School. A little shy, Kevin tries to go unnoticed on the first day at school. He’s successful at blending in until something upsets his six-year old brother, who is autistic, and only Kevin can calm his screams.

In this second book of the Yasmin Peace series family tensions and school unrest sore to a fever pitch. A school counselor starts a club for 8th grade girls: The LIGHT club, which deals with major issues: gangs, depression, teen suicide, self-esteem, etc. Yasmin discovers that there is hope on the other side of every obstacle—if she holds on to her faith.

REVIEW: This Christian YA novel is masterfully written. Moore delivers a positive book I believe teen women will love. She deals with serious issues and topics in a way that will help readers think long and hard about the choices they make. The characters are three dimensional with great introspection, believable dialogue and crisp description. I’d recommend this story to teen girls every where and a few guys too!

Reviewed by Shawneda Marks

Nine year old Jeremiah Jones is a born runner. He runs faster than most boys his age. Trouble is ever since his grandmother’s passing his running has been getting him in trouble. When he’s sad or stressed, he runs. His running helps him cope with the loss of Grandma Joanie and the prospect of never finding a ‘forever family.’ Running gets him thrown out of foster homes and expelled from school.

The story opens with Jeremiah getting expelled from school again. He is temporarily placed in the home of a social worker, Mrs. Kennedy. Mrs. Kennedy, her husband, and their young son, P.J. help Jeremiah slow down long enough to reflect.

While in the Kennedy’s nurturing home Jeremiah learns the meaning of faith and hope in God’s promises. Throughout the book, the reader gets glimpses of Jeremiah’s spiritual foundation through memories Grandma Joanie strong words, paraphrased Bible passages. In the end, Jeremiah find the courage to be still.

Run, Jeremiah, Run is a good quick read. The introspective style and pacing may appeal more to pre-teens and adults. The spiritual lessons in the book are filtered through Jeremiah’s eyes and posed in a way that a child could understand. The book contains many moments of light-hearted action that will interest children of any age.

$6.99, 150 page

Reviewed by Linda Leigh Hargrove

Young Phillis began life in an African village as a curious and imaginative little Janxa. Then without warning Janxa gets captured by slavers and shipped to the New World with her father. She’s unable to fully comprehend the reasons for the inhumanity she witnesses on the journey. She soothes herself by clinging to the songs of the village storyteller.

On her arrival in the Colonies, she is sold to a wealthy Massachusetts family, the Wheatleys. A thin sickly child stricken with asthma, she is taught to read and write instead of cook and clean. In time, she is discovered to be an excellent student, writing exceptional poetry.

With the help of her mistress, Susanna Wheatley, she becomes an example that African slaves can learn, that they are more than chattel. That they indeed have souls, in need of a Savior.

Phyllis, as she is called upon her arrival in the Colonies, comes to take her faith and her role of being freedom’s pen seriously. Freedom’s Pen is very well written, but is perhaps too densely written for some younger children. The strong themes and terms may be more suitable for older children and teens.

Freedom’s Pen is the 8^th book in Ms. Lawton’s Daughters of Faith series. The series, written for readers aged 9-12 years old, contains well-researched books on the girlhoods of notable women of faith like Harriet Tubman, Mary Bunyan (daughter of John Bunyan), and Pocahontas.

The Daughters of Faith series is an excellent resource for group study with both children and adults. They provide an window into the history and faith of our Christian mothers of old. This collection of books is certainly a rich gift to all ages.

Moody Publishers; $6.99; 144 page

Reviewed by Linda Hargrove

Purchase Freedom’s Pen on Amazon.com