Distributed to the trades through Ingram; standard reseller discounts apply.
A Note from the Publisher, Lily Coyle
It’s July 2020 and Sheletta Brundidge is calling with a very big story: Judeah Reynolds, the little girl who witnessed George Floyd’s murder, wants to write a book. The only Black girl Judeah knows with a book is Sheletta’s daughter Cameron. Judeah wants the place that made Cameron’s book to make her book. (That’s my place: Beaver’s Pond Press.) Oh, and Judeah already has the title picked out: A Walk to the Store.
My intestines begin to tremble. “A children’s book? About . . . watching George Floyd die?” (Most of my conversations with Sheletta begin along these lines. We’ve done four children’s books together and each one has a backstory that should be turned into a whole ‘nother book. Which I fully intend to write and publish one day.) “Are you for real, Sheletta? I don’t think I want to go there.”
“You’ll figure it out. We’re coming to your office Tuesday. Be ready.” And that is the extent of my acquisitions process.
That Tuesday Judeah + Mom, Sheletta + Daughter, illustrator Darcy Bell-Myers, and a multitude of media folk arrive at our tiny office in Saint Paul. Judeah is shy and soft-spoken but she bravely answers questions and relives that unlivable moment again for the reporters, who are all very kind and clearly moved. Judeah tells what she had seen and none of us are surprised—we’ve all, sadly, seen it. But she also tells us why she was there at Cup Foods. She had three dollars and wanted to buy some candy—maybe Skittles or sour gummy worms—so she begged her older cousin Darnella to walk her to the store. (It was Darnella’s unflinching camera work that made this crime globally known.) And she tells us how her life has changed since then. How she wakes up crying in the middle of the night from bad dreams. How her mom listens and gives her hugs. How she made her mom take her back to Cup Foods because she needed to see it one more time. How when she saw so many people outside Cup Foods with signs and candles and flowers, she knew there were more good people than bad people. And how she got her own sign to carry: “IT CAN BE BETTER.”
That is the healing story we want to tell. How many children have seen the gruesome footage of George Floyd dying and have had bad dreams because of it? How many kids see bad things happen online or on TV or in real life, and don’t know to make sense of it? This is how Judeah’s story—a story that no child should have been part of—becomes a book with a message to help all children.
Ten to fifteen percent is the average royalty paid to an author. We are fronting all costs of this book’s production and paying Judeah sixty percent of the profits. Please consider purchasing additional books to donate to your local school, church, library, scout troop, or other organization. Thank you for taking the time to learn about this project and being a part of Judeah’s healing journey.
My intestines begin to tremble. “A children’s book? About . . . watching George Floyd die?” (Most of my conversations with Sheletta begin along these lines. We’ve done four children’s books together and each one has a backstory that should be turned into a whole ‘nother book. Which I fully intend to write and publish one day.) “Are you for real, Sheletta? I don’t think I want to go there.”
“You’ll figure it out. We’re coming to your office Tuesday. Be ready.” And that is the extent of my acquisitions process.
That Tuesday Judeah + Mom, Sheletta + Daughter, illustrator Darcy Bell-Myers, and a multitude of media folk arrive at our tiny office in Saint Paul. Judeah is shy and soft-spoken but she bravely answers questions and relives that unlivable moment again for the reporters, who are all very kind and clearly moved. Judeah tells what she had seen and none of us are surprised—we’ve all, sadly, seen it. But she also tells us why she was there at Cup Foods. She had three dollars and wanted to buy some candy—maybe Skittles or sour gummy worms—so she begged her older cousin Darnella to walk her to the store. (It was Darnella’s unflinching camera work that made this crime globally known.) And she tells us how her life has changed since then. How she wakes up crying in the middle of the night from bad dreams. How her mom listens and gives her hugs. How she made her mom take her back to Cup Foods because she needed to see it one more time. How when she saw so many people outside Cup Foods with signs and candles and flowers, she knew there were more good people than bad people. And how she got her own sign to carry: “IT CAN BE BETTER.”
That is the healing story we want to tell. How many children have seen the gruesome footage of George Floyd dying and have had bad dreams because of it? How many kids see bad things happen online or on TV or in real life, and don’t know to make sense of it? This is how Judeah’s story—a story that no child should have been part of—becomes a book with a message to help all children.
Ten to fifteen percent is the average royalty paid to an author. We are fronting all costs of this book’s production and paying Judeah sixty percent of the profits. Please consider purchasing additional books to donate to your local school, church, library, scout troop, or other organization. Thank you for taking the time to learn about this project and being a part of Judeah’s healing journey.
