Kelly Starling Lyons

Kelly Starling Lyons is a writer and children's book author.[1] She is also one of the founding members of the blog The Brown Bookshelf, which raises awareness of Black children's book creators and features author and illustrator spotlights.

Kelly Starling Lyons
BornPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
OccupationChildren's book author
Website
www.kellystarlinglyons.com

Personal

Lyons was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a high-school student, Lyons loved the works of Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison and Lorraine Hansberry and set a goal to be an author.[1]

As an adult, she read the book Something Beautiful by Sharon Dennis Wyeth, which was the first time she had seen an African-American girl featured on the cover of a picture book. This inspired her to start writing fiction books for children that would feature African-American lead characters.[1]

Lyons makes her home in Raleigh, North Carolina.[2]

Lyons attended Syracuse University, where she earned a B.A. in African-American Studies, as well as her M.S. in Magazine Journalism. She has since worked for Ebony Magazine, The News & Observer, and the Syracuse Herald-Journal.[3]

Awards and honors

Three of Lyon's books are Junior Library Guild selections: Ellen's Broom (2012),[4] Dream Builder: The Story of Architect Philip Freelon (2020),[5] and Miles Lewis: King of the Ice (2022).[6]

Awards for Lyons's writing
Year Title Award Result Ref.
2013 Ellen's Broom Coretta Scott King Award Honor [7]
2020 Going Down Home with Daddy ALSC Notable Children's Books Selection [8][9]
Caldecott Medal Honor [10]
Sing a Song: How “Lift Every Voice and Sing” Inspired Generations ALSC Notable Children's Books Selection [9]
Ty's Travels: All Aboard! Cybils Award for Easy Readers Finalist [11]
2021 Going Down Home with Daddy ALSC Notable Children's Recordings Selection [12]
Ty’s Travels: Zip, Zoom! Geisel Award Honor [13]
ALSC Notable Children's Books Selection [14]

Selected texts

Lyons has written more than a dozen books for children that focus on aspects of African-American history and culture, including:[1]

  • A Girl Named Misty, The True Story of Misty Copeland, this book tells the story of how young Misty Copeland began to dance, eventually becoming the first African-American principal dancer in American Ballet Theatre.
  • NEATE: Eddie’s Ordeal, a title in their NEATE chapter book series, tells the story of relationship between a 13-year-old African-American boy who loves to play basketball and his civil rights veteran dad.
  • One Million Men and Me was published by Just Us Books in 2007. Illustrated by Peter Ambush, it was inspired by her memories of attending the Million Man March.[15][16]
  • Hope's Gift, illustrated by Don Tate, celebrates the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.
  • Tea Cakes for Tosh was illustrated by E. B. Lewis.
  • Ellen’s Broom, illustrated by Daniel Minter, was inspired by a document that the author saw while researching family history in Rockingham County, NC and Henry County, VA.
  • Going Down Home with Daddy (2019), illustrated by Daniel Minter

References
  1. Gillis, Stacy (February 20, 2013). "Author Kelly Starling Lyons says family struggles reflected in her books". The Fayetteville Observer. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  2. "27 Views of Raleigh". News Observer. September 1, 2013. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  3. "Kelly Starling Lyons" Archived 2021-04-17 at the Wayback Machine, alibris.com.
  4. "Ellen's Broom by Kelly Starling Lyons". Junior Library Guild. Archived from the original on 2022-01-28. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  5. "Dream Builder: The Story of Architect Philip Freelon by Kelly Starling Lyons". Junior Library Guild. Archived from the original on 2021-09-27. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  6. "Miles Lewis: King of the Ice by Kelly Starling Lyons". Junior Library Guild. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  7. Communications and Marketing Office (2013-01-28). "American Library Association announces 2013 youth media award winners". American Library Association. Archived from the original on 2018-02-07. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  8. "2020 Notable Children's Books". Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). 2021-01-23. Archived from the original on 2022-10-02. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  9. Schulte-Cooper, Laura (2020-02-25). "ALSC names 2020 Notable Children's Books". American Library Association. Archived from the original on 2020-06-17. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  10. Van Atten, Suzanne (February 10, 2020). "Caldecott honors Georgia artist for book about family reunions". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on July 24, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  11. "2020 Cybils Finalists". Archived from the original on 2022-11-05. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  12. "2021 Notable Children's Recordings". Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). 2022-01-25. Archived from the original on 2022-01-27. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  13. Communications and Marketing Office (2021-01-25). "David LaRochelle, Mike Wohnoutka win Geisel Award for 'See the Cat: Three Stories About a Dog'". American Library Association. Archived from the original on 2021-06-01. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  14. "2021 Notable Children's Books". Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). 2022-01-25. Archived from the original on 2022-03-13. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  15. "Each One Teach One: Interview with Kelly Starling Lyons". Writer Metamorphosis. June 16, 2012. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  16. "Interview with Kelly Starling Lyons". Blogcritics.org. August 12, 2011. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
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