Katura J. Hudson

My first official book signing for I'm a Big Brother Now took place at the Maplewood-South Orange Book Festival (June 9-10). I got a surprise visit from two of the inspirations for my book: Kimaya and her big brother Chris. When I wrote the manuscript, Chris was a toddler. Now he's taller than I am!  One of my favorite photos from the Maplewood South Orange Book Festival. Baby Tyson is ready to be a big brother!

Books are in!! (cue Pointer Sisters' "I'm So Excited")

"A little black boy revels in filling “one of the most important roles in the family”— big brother. The little boy, who looks to be about 4 or 5, tells readers how he helped Mommy and Daddy before the baby arrived, how he waited with Grandma while his parents were at the hospital, and how he adapts to the new family member...."  Read more in Kirkus Reviews

  It's late January 2017. Publication for I'm a Big Brother Now , my first picture book, is set for May 2017. But before files are sent to the printer, I wanted to get some honest feedback. I decided to ask my favorite seven-year-old, London, for a critique. A promise of an exclusive look at a book in progress was enough to get her to agree. Here's a bit of our conversation following her first read: Me: What's did you think? London: I liked it. It's a good book. Me: Why did you like it? London: Umm, not a lot of words. Not a lot of HARD words. Me: Was there anything you didn't like about it? London: No. There was nothing I didn't like. Me: So there's nothing we can improve? London: No. (long pause) Uhh, it needs more color in the background Me: So you would tell all your friends to buy this book? London: Yes! Me: Did you learn anything new? London: Siblings are a lot of work!