A Place of Our Own
Book 2 in Ava Murray Writes the World
- Subject
- Diversity & Multicultural
- Age
- 3-5 years
- Format
- Hardcover
- Pages
- 40
- Publisher
- Six Foot Press, LLC
- ISBN
- 9781644420232
In summertime, intrepid eight-year-old journalist Ava Murray and her best friend, Marisol, love to play hopscotch and double Dutch. But the hot asphalt of the sidewalk in their neighborhood makes them sweaty and burns their feet through their sneakers. When Avaās mother, Kim, tells her that the New York City Parks Department is building a new park in her neighborhood, she wants to make her voice and opinions heard.
Her mother takes her to a city council planning meeting, and Ava is given the chance to present her impassioned plea for shady trees, cool grass, and safe spaces for her and her friends to enjoy. And sheās not going to stop there: Ava wants to write a story about the neighborhood childrenās needs for her local newspaper. She wants to talk about it on television and on the radio. She wants to gather the kids to make signs for a demonstration. And more!
Ava shows that being a journalist means not only reporting on her world, but also advocating for what she believes is right. In A Place of Our Own, Ava helps reveal to children the power of their own voices.
About the creators
Joshunda SandersAuthor
Charly PalmerIllustrator
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What reviewers said
"Lovely and timely. So glad Joshunda is telling our stories."
"Eight year old Ava Murry lives in the Bronx, New York, and wants to grow up to be a journalist and write about the world she loves living in as she sees it, not as the negative atmosphere that newscasters report as her life. The text is accompanied by lush, graffiti like paintings by Charley Palmer which consist of bold colors and geometric shapes, a style inspired by his childhood exposure to Ezra Jack Keats stories. Ava's story plays out in her classroom where she shares her perceptions that her beautiful community and neighborhood are not fully understood by the mainstream media....theā¦
"Ava Murray is determined to become a journalist and write about the world, but first, she will start in the place she knows and loves best, her neighborhood in the Bronx, New York. This story begins with Ava waking up in the apartment she shares with her mother in the Bronx. She and her mother love their neighborhood; however, the little black girl notices that the negative stories of the Bronx on the news do not always match her experience. After watching the news together, Ava's mother explains, "Sometimes the way the world sees us / Is different from how we see ourselves." Ava's motherā¦
āIn a time when just 5.6% of newsroom employees are Black, and most of the stories (including childrenās books) about Black people continue to be written by white writers, this book is needed and contains a powerful message.ā
"I Can Write the World is a true gem and one youāll definitely want to add to your bookshelves. Letās make this a bestseller, shall we? . . . The illustrations by Charly Palmer are captivating and really help capture the true essence of the overall messages. The words will pierce your soul."
"Iām so glad Joshunda is telling our stories."
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