We Are Here (An All Because You Matter Book)

by Tami Charles, Bryan Collier (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

The riveting companion to Tami Charles and Bryan Collier's All Because You Matter (2020 Barnes & Noble Picture Book of the Year finalist), We Are Here is lyrical, affirmational and full of love. Simultaneously celebrating excellence within the Black community while honoring legacy, Charles and Collier's love letter to Black and Brown children is truly a work of art.

An empowering follow-up to New York Times bestselling picture book All Because You Matter that celebrates the rich history of Black and brown men and women throughout history with soaring language and stunning illustration.

Lyrical, affirmational, and bursting with love, We Are Here is a poignant story about Black and brown heritage and community. Full of assurance, tenderness, and triumph, this much-anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestselling picture book All Because You Matter offers an equally inspirational and arresting ode to all of the Black women and men throughout history who have made momentous contributions from the beginning of time.

Tami Charles shares the beauty and excellence in the history of the Black community, assuring Black and brown children of the extraordinary legacy from which they come. Charles's powerful and empowering text is accompanied with illustrations by renowned artist Bryan Collier, a four-time Caldecott Honor recipient and a nine-time Coretta Scott King Award winner or honoree. We Are Here celebrates readers with pride, joy, and love, reminding them of their roots, inviting readers to imagine a future that shines ever bright, and strengthening them for their triumphant days to come!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338752045
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	01/03/2023
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	67,682
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD710L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Tami Charles is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous books for young readers, including the picture book All Because You Matter (illustrated by Bryan Collier) and the novels Muted, Like Vanessa, and Becoming Beatriz. In her teens and early twenties, Tami enjoyed a taste of fame as a member of an all-girl R&B trio. They performed for Boyz II Men, BET, and Showtime at the Apollo, and had a one-hit wonder on the radio. After college, Tami worked as an educator for thirteen years before pursuing her childhood dream of becoming an author. For more information on Tami, visit tamiwrites.com
Bryan Collier loves to paint. He has successfully channeled his creative energy and love of art into an illustrious career as a children's book illustrator and writer. He began painting at the age of 15 and eventually landed a scholarship to attend Pratt Institute in New York. He has won four Caldecott Honors for Rosa by Nikki Giovanni, Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport, Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews, and Dave the Potter by Laban Carack Hill. His first book, Uptown, won the Coretta Scott King Award and the Ezra Jack Keats Award. He has won five more Coretta Scott King Awards and three Coretta Scott King Honors.

Editorial Reviews

★ 12/19/2022

In this follow-up to All Because You Matter, collaborators Charles and Collier meld pithy, free-verse lines and saturated illustrations to form an empowering treatise that celebrates the Black diaspora across time and space. Attending images of a Black child whose pigtail puffs are shown as holding elements of the universe, early lines focus on individual promise (“We are the seeds,/ you and me”) contextualized against history (“From brick and grit,/ we built this place”). Subsequent pages visualize Black figures—including Martin Luther King Jr., Marian Anderson, Howlin’ Wolf, and Muddy Waters—taking part in activism, fashion, food production, and music: “We are intercontinental,/ can’t you see?.../ Trend-setters,/ Go-getters,.../ multidialectal,/ oh-so-intellectual.” Stunning watercolor and collage art—inspired, per a creator’s note, by a John Biggers painting of shotgun houses—juxtaposes the structures and other patterned elements to create a shining, surreal dimensionality that supports the book’s affirming conceit: “We are fearless, more than we know... Because you and me have always been heroes.” Back matter includes creators’ notes, and contextualizes figures and contributions discussed. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for We Are Here:

An Amazon's Best Book of 2023

A School Library Journal's Best Book of 2023

* "This awe-inspiring and phenomenal work of art belongs on all shelves." — School Library Journal, starred review

* "A triumphant, encouraging tone permeates the messages to young people of color... asserting recognition and illuminating possibilities for their future." — Horn Book, starred review

* "A powerful narrative about Black yesterdays that have built the foundation for all our tomorrows." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "Collaborators Charles and Collier meld pithy, free-verse lines and saturated illustrations to form an empowering treatise that celebrates the Black diaspora across time and space.​​​​​​" — Publishers Weekly, starred review

"In storytelling dotted with words in Spanish and other languages, laid against Collier’s lush, gem-toned imagery, the book weaves a unifying and empowering narrative of Black people connected across bodies of water, bonded by a common identity..." — Nikkole Hannah-Jones, New York Times Book Review

"A stunning ode to legacies built from the past and those yet to come." — Jacqueline Woodson, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature (2018–2019)

Praise for All Because You Matter:

An Instant New York Times Bestseller

The #1 Amazon Best Children's Book of 2020

A Best Picture Book of 2020, Chicago Public Library

Barnes & Noble Best Picture Book of 2020

Best Books of 2020 by School Library Journal

Best Books of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews

Best Children's & Teen Books of 2020 by Shelf Awareness

100 Best Books for Kids by NYPL

Best Book of 2020 by NPR

TODAY Favorite Children’s Book of 2020

An ALA Notable Children’s Book 2021

B&N Children's Book Prize of the Year Nomination

Winner of the SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text

* "A gem for every household." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "A richly illustrated affirmation for Black children — especially boys... Stunning. Powerful. Timely. Illustrated inspiration at its best." — Horn Book, starred review

* " Universal declarations are often illustrated with images of many children; this book's focus on a single child brings his experience and life-and the ways they matter-right up close." — Publishers Weekly, starred review

"All Because You Matter is a powerful, poetic manifesto that is required reading for every family in America." — BookPage

"A powerful tale in a broken world, this will give children hope and parents comfort... a very timely story and a wonderful addition to school and public libraries." — School Library Journal

"A title sure to be frequented by not only Black children but any child looking for a kind word and confidence boost." — Booklist

Praise for Muted:

* "Heart-racing... [a] taut and gritty read." — Booklist, starred review

* "Charles’s heartbreaking novel in verse shows the harsh realities of the music industry." — School Library Journal, starred review

"Catapults [readers] toward a breathless, satisfying conclusion." — The Horn Book

Praise for Like Vanessa, by Tami Charles:

* "Readers of all ages and backgrounds will cheer Vanessa on and see themselves in her story. This debut is a treasure: a gift to every middle school girl who ever felt unpretty, unloved, and trapped by her circumstances." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "Superb." — Booklist, starred review

* "Like Vanessa is an emotionally potent, engaging young adult story with a heroine whom it is impossible not to root for. The life lessons that Nessy learns are relevant and worthwhile for everyone." — Foreword Reviews, starred review

"Charles's debut novel dexterously interlaces pathos and humor and introduces a refreshing new voice." — Publishers Weekly

Praise for Trombone Shorty, illustrated by Bryan Collier:

2016 Caldecott Honor Book

Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Award Winner

* "This well-told and exquisitely illustrated story of a musician with a steep career trajectory will inspire young readers to pursue their passions, despite the challenges." — Kirkus Reviews starred review

Praise for Knock Knock, illustrated by Bryan Collier:

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner

Huffington Post Best Picture Book of the Year

ALSC Notable Children's Book

Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards Picture Book Honor

Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Books of the Year

"Bryan Collier's richly textured illustrations and the lyricism of Beaty's text — with its echoes of spoken-word poetry — make this story of bereavement also a story of possibility and beauty." — The New York Times Sunday Book Review

Praise for Martin's Big Words, illustrated by Bryan Collier:

Caldecott Honor Book

Coretta Scott King Honor Book

ALA Notable Children's Book

New York Times Notable Book of the Year

"A stunning, reverent tribute." — School Library Journal

"A courageous testimony, an anthem for our children…simply brilliant." — Kwame Alexander, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Door of No Return and An American Story

"This book is a gift, a powerful mirror for our children to see themselves in. Thank you, Tami Charles and Brian Collier." — Tatyana Ali, actress, director and producer

From the Publisher

★ 03/24/2023

K-Gr 2—Charles and Collier have created a luminous companion to All Because You Matter. The collaborators trace the journey of Black excellence, from the beginning of time to present day, and joyously celebrate how Black people have been an indelible part of humanity's history all over the globe. Highlighting contributions, such as different genres of music to fashion to civil rights leaders to the George Floyd protests, the unnamed narrator encourages a Black girl in pink who is seen throughout and is a stand-in for all Black children. Charles's poetic text emphasizes the pride that she should have in herself and her lineage. "Because/ you and me, we have always been heroes./ The same ones who/ sat to take a stand,/ the ones who ran/ so we could fly." With the turn of every page, readers will encounter a feast for the eyes. Collier's collage and watercolor renderings capture both cultural innovations and the history of protest and struggle. Georgia row houses, circles, and a pink balloon are motifs throughout, anchors for children as they pore over the intricate pages. Back matter includes short biographies of Black historical figures (such as Muddy Waters, Marian Anderson, and more) as well as their notable contributions to culture, glossary, and notes from Charles and Collier. VERDICT This awe-inspiring and phenomenal work of art belongs on all shelves.—Shelley M. Diaz

School Library Journal

★ 2022-11-16
The creators of All Because You Matter (2020) collaborate once more, assuring children of the Black diaspora of their rich cultural heritage.

Charles’ moving free-verse text, addressed to a brown-skinned child wearing a colorful headband, their hair in two puffballs, argues that though so many contributions of Black people have gone unacknowledged, “we have always been heroes.” When it is “your turn / to rule the world, / people will be amazed / and they will question / the power of you.” But, Charles stresses, they should neither marvel nor doubt, because Black people have always been here and have always been amazing. In an illustrator’s note, Collier mentions that the row houses throughout echo those that Georgia artist John Biggers painted of his childhood home. Row houses grace the endpapers and serve as the backdrop for many scenes showcasing Black people’s contributions to music, activism, fashion, politics, food, astronomy, and more, not just throughout American history, but world history as well. Many of the people Collier illustrates are recognizably famous, like Martin Luther King Jr., after whom more than 1,000 streets have been named, and others ought to be, like Chicago blues musician Howlin’ Wolf. Collier’s signature painterly collage and watercolor images abound in color, texture, and patterning that beautifully reflect Black diversity. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A powerful narrative about Black yesterdays that have built the foundation for all our tomorrows. (biographical notes, glossary, author’s notes) (Picture book. 3-8)

Kirkus Reviews