Zetta Elliott facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Zetta Elliott
|
|
|---|---|
Elliott in 2021
|
|
| Born | October 26, 1972 Ajax, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Poet, playwright, and author |
| Alma mater | New York University |
Zetta Elliott (born October 26, 1972) is a Canadian-American writer. She writes poems, plays, and books. Her first picture book, Bird, won many awards. Zetta Elliott is known for her children's books, essays, and novels for young adults.
Contents
About Zetta Elliott
Zetta Elliott was born in Ajax, Ontario, Canada, on October 26, 1972. She moved to Brooklyn, America, in 1994. There, she studied at New York University (NYU). Later, she moved to Philadelphia. She has a PhD from NYU. She has also taught as a professor at different colleges.
Zetta Elliott's Books
Zetta Elliott's books often talk about tough issues. These include recovering from violence in cities. She writes to help Black people feel seen and understood.
Early Picture Books
Elliott's first book was Bird, a children's picture book published in 2008. The illustrator, Shadra Strickland, won an award for her work on Bird. The book also won other prizes, like the Paterson Prize for Book for Young Readers. Zetta Elliott first wrote Bird as a short story in 2006. It became a picture book after she worked on it with the illustrator.
Young Adult Novels
Zetta Elliott has written young adult (YA) novels. Her first YA books are A Wish After Midnight and The Door at the Crossroads. These stories are about a Black teenager from Brooklyn, New York. The teenager travels back in time to Brooklyn in 1863. A Wish After Midnight was first published in 2008. Its sequel, The Door at the Crossroads, came out in 2016.
The City Books Series
The City Books series is for younger readers, from ages 6 to 10. This series started in 2014 with The Phoenix on Barkley Street. Dayshaun's Gift followed in 2015. Like A Wish After Midnight, Dayshaun's Gift sends the main character back to 1863. This was during the New York City draft riots. Alex Portal illustrated this story. Elliott also released The Ghosts in the Castle and The Phantom Unicorn in 2017. Charity Russell illustrated both of these books.
Picture Books with Purple Wong
In 2015, Zetta Elliott started working with artist Purple Wong. Wong illustrated Elliott's poem I Love Snow! as a picture book. In 2016, they released A Hand to Hold and Milo's Museum. They also released Billie's Blues, which Paul Melecky also illustrated. In 2017, they published Benny Doesn't Like to Be Hugged. This poetic picture book is about autism. On My Block, another poem, came out in 2020. Elliott wants to see many different kinds of people in books. In Benny Doesn't Like to Be Hugged, a character wears a shirt with Super Indian. This is a Native superhero created by Arigon Starr.
Other Notable Works
In 2016, Melena's Jubilee: the story of a fresh start was published. Aaron Boyd created the artwork using mixed media. This book was named a Best Children's Book of the Year. It also won an Honor Book award from Skipping Stones magazine.
Elliott published her young adult novel Mother of the Sea in 2017. She published this book through her own company, Rosetta Press. Many of her children's books are also from Rosetta Press.
Her urban fantasy series for middle schoolers began with Dragons in a Bag. This book was chosen as one of Amazon's Best Children's Books of the Year in 2018. The second book in the series is The Dragon Thief. Both books were published by Random House and illustrated by Geneva B.
In 2018, Elliott's poem "You Too Can Fly" was published. It was part of the book We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices. This book featured works from 50 famous writers and artists. In her poem, Elliott shares a message of hope:
remember:
the fiercest dragons
emerge from the
darkest depths
and a single star
sparkling
in the sable sky
may guide you to
your destiny…
She also contributed to Margaret Busby's book New Daughters of Africa in 2019. That same year, Elliott published Find Your Voice: A Guide to Self-Expression. This book helps people learn about writing.
Her poetry collection Say Her Name (Poems to Empower) came out in 2020. It has 49 poems. Four poems honor other authors: Lucille Clifton, Audre Lorde, Nikki Giovanni, and Phillis Wheatley. Loveis Wise created the cover and illustrations. A second poetry collection, American Phoenix, was released later in 2020. It contains 40 poems.
Awards and Honors
- 2005: Bird (published in 2008) – New Voices Award Honor, Lee & Low Books; Ezra Jack Keats Book Award for New Illustrator; 2009 Paterson Prize for Book for Young Readers
- 2012: Ship of Souls – Booklist's Top Ten Sci-fi/Fantasy Titles for Youth; finalist for the Phillis Wheatley Book Award
- 2018: Dragon in a Bag – Amazon Best Children's Book of the Year selection
