From New York Times bestselling author Tami Charles and rising star illustrator Sharon Sordo comes the first book in a charming picture book series about a fun, spunky girl with a huge heart! Meet Zuri Ray. She's always willing to go the extra mile for family and friends and is up for any challenge. At least, that was before her best friend, Jessie, asked her to join a ballet camp. Now Zuri isn't sure if she's up for everything. While Jessie can't wait to chassé and plié while wearing tight hair buns and frilly tutus, that doesn't sound like Zuri at all! But she can't let her friend down. Maybe classical ballet just needs a new spin . . . Perfect for fans of Fancy Nancy and Fresh Princess, Zuri Ray Tries Ballet encourages kids to follow their hearts and stay true to themselves!

Zuri Ray Tries Ballet

Children's Books

Charles, Tami

Arts, Music & Photography

Quill Tree Books

From New York Times bestselling author Tami Charles and rising star illustrator Sharon Sordo comes the second book in a charming picture book series about a fun, spunky girl with strong opinions, big ideas, and a huge heart! 
Zuri Ray is back! And this time, she's got a party to plan. With summer coming to an end, a backyard bash is an absolute must, and Zuri's not letting her parents' questionable tastes anywhere near the details. The food, the decorations, the entertainment—everything has to be perfect. Good thing her friends are ready to help! 
But when the party doesn't go exactly according to plan, will Zuri be able to let loose and improvise? Or will the chaos be too much to handle? 
Perfect for fans of Fancy Nancy and Fresh Princess, Zuri Ray and the Backyard Bash highlights how much fun can be had even when plans fall apart.\nFrom School Library Journal\nPreS-Gr 2—Zuri's parents agree to her idea for an end-of-summer party, but when she hears their plans (for '80s music and olive Jell-O) she knows she has to take over. She rallies her sister, Remi, their dog, Sherlock Hound, and a diverse group of friends from school, church, and swim class to plan a perfect party, including food, decorations, and entertainment. The planning and the party itself go well at first, but then catastrophe strikes (squirrel, dog chase). Zuri wants everyone to go home, but her parents' comfort and good advice ("It doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be fun" and "Sometimes things don't go as planned") help her recover and carry on. Zuri's mom is dark-skinned with curly black hair, and her dad is white, with blondish-brown hair. Zuri Ray (Zuri Ray Tries Ballet) shares an inclusive vibe and problem-solving attitude with Saadia Faruqi's early reader series, "Meet Yasmin." The vibrant, animated illustrations are great fun, especially the perspective of the dog chase, with a dotted line enabling readers to follow the action. VERDICT An excellent story of initiative, planning, and what to do when plans go awry; highly recommended.—Jenny Arch

Zuri Ray and the Backyard Bash

Literature & Fiction

Join the celebration in the kitchen as a family makes their traditional New Year’s soup — and shares the story of how Haitian independence came to be. The shake-shake of maracas vibrates down to my toes. Ti Gran’s feet tap-tap to the rhythm. Every year, Haitians all over the world ring in the new year by eating a special soup, a tradition dating back to the Haitian Revolution. This year, Ti Gran is teaching Belle how to make the soup — Freedom Soup — just like she was taught when she was a little girl. Together, they dance and clap as they prepare the holiday feast, and Ti Gran tells Belle about the history of the soup, the history of Belle’s family, and the history of Haiti, where Belle’s family is from. In this celebration of cultural traditions passed from one generation to the next, Jacqueline Alcántara’s lush illustrations bring to life both Belle’s story and the story of the Haitian Revolution. Tami Charles’s lyrical text, as accessible as it is sensory, makes for a tale that readers will enjoy to the last drop.

Freedom Soup

Holidays & Celebrations

Candlewick

A young girl in Haiti is eager to learn how to carry a basket to market in an exuberant picture book with universal appeal. "To carry the panye, we move gracefully, even under the weight of the sun and the moon." In the hills above Port-au-Prince, a young girl named Fallon wants more than anything to carry a large woven basket to the market, just like her Manman. As she watches her mother wrap her hair in a mouchwa, Fallon tries to twist her own braids into a scarf and balance the empty panye atop her head, but realizes it's much harder than she thought. BOOM! Is she ready after all? Lyrical and inspiring, with vibrant illustrations highlighting the beauty of Haiti, My Day with the Panye is a story of family legacy, cultural tradition, and hope for the future. Readers who are curious about the art of carrying a panye will find more about this ancient and global practice in an author's note at the end.

My Day with the Panye

Growing Up & Facts of Life

A little-known but fascinating and larger-than-life character, Mary Fields is one of the unsung, trailblazing African American women who helped settle the American West. A former slave, Fields became the first African American woman stagecoach driver in 1895, when, in her 60s, she beat out all the cowboys applying for the job by being the fastest to hitch a team of six horses. She won the dangerous and challenging job, and for many years traveled the badlands with her pet eagle, protecting the mail from outlaws and wild animals, never losing a single horse or package. Fields helped pave the way for other women and people of color to become stagecoach drivers and postal workers.

Fearless Mary: Mary Fields, American Stagecoach Driver

Biographies

Albert Whitman & Co.

Albert Whitman & Company

<h3>A lyrical, heart-lifting love letter to black and brown children everywhere.</h3> Discover this poignant, timelyand emotionally stirringpicture book, an ode to black and brown children everywhere that is full of hope, assuranceand love. Tami Charles pens a poetic, lyrical text that is part love letter, part anthem, assuring readers that they always have, and always will, matter. &nbsp; Accompanied by illustrations by renowned artist Bryan Collier, All Because You Matterempowersreaders with pride, joyand comfort, reminding them of their roots and strengthening them for the days to come. Lyrical, personal and full of love, All Because You Matteris for the picture book audience what The Hate U Givewas for YA: a conversation starter, a community touchstone and a deep affirmation of worthfor the young readers who need it most.

All Because You Matter (An All Because You Matter Book)

Orchard Books

Muted

A ripped-from-the-headlines novel of ambition, music, and innocence lost, perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Jason Reynolds! Be bold. Get seen. Be Heard. For seventeen-year-old Denver, music is everything. Writing, performing, and her ultimate goal: escaping her very small, very white hometown. So Denver is more than ready on the day she and her best friends Dali and Shak sing their way into the orbit of the biggest R&B star in the world, Sean "Mercury" Ellis. Merc gives them everything: parties, perks, wild nights -- plus hours and hours in the recording studio. Even the painful sacrifices and the lies the girls have to tell are all worth it. Until they're not. Denver begins to realize that she's trapped in Merc's world, struggling to hold on to her own voice. As the dream turns into a nightmare, she must make a choice: lose her big break, or get broken. Inspired by true events, Muted is a fearless exploration of the dark side of the music industry, the business of exploitation, how a girl's dreams can be used against her -- and what it takes to fight back.

Scholastic Press

A ripped-from-the-headlines novel of ambition, music, and innocence lost, perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Jason Reynolds!\nBe bold. Get seen. Be Heard.\nFor seventeen-year-old Denver, music is everything. Writing, performing, and her ultimate goal: escaping her very small, very white hometown.\nSo Denver is more than ready on the day she and her best friends Dali and Shak sing their way into the orbit of the biggest R&B star in the world, Sean "Mercury" Ellis. Merc gives them everything: parties, perks, wild nights -- plus hours and hours in the recording studio. Even the painful sacrifices and the lies the girls have to tell are all worth it.\nUntil they're not.\nDenver begins to realize that she's trapped in Merc's world, struggling to hold on to her own voice. As the dream turns into a nightmare, she must make a choice: lose her big break, or get broken.\nInspired by true events, Muted is a fearless exploration of the dark side of the music industry, the business of exploitation, how a girl's dreams can be used against her -- and what it takes to fight back.

In another groundbreaking picture book from the powerhouse creative team behind the New York Times bestselling All Because You Matter, is a stirring, poetic, and empowering follow-up that celebrates the rich history of Black and brown men and women throughout history with soaring language and stunning illustration. Lyrical, affirmational, and bursting with love, We Are Here is a poignant story about Black and brown heritage and community. Full of assurance, tenderness, and triumph, this much-anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestselling picture book All Because You Matter offers an equally inspirational and arresting ode to all of the Black women and men throughout history who have made momentous contributions from the beginning of time. Tami Charles shares the beauty and excellence in the history of the Black community, assuring Black and brown children of the extraordinary legacy from which they come. Charles's powerful and empowering text is accompanied with illustrations by renowned artist Bryan Collier, a four-time Caldecott Honor recipient and a nine-time Coretta Scott King Award winner or honoree. We Are Here celebrates readers with pride, joy, and love, reminding them of their roots, inviting readers to imagine a future that shines ever bright, and strengthening them for their triumphant days to come!

We Are Here (An All Because You Matter Book)

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Charles, Tami. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Charles, Tami

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Charles, Tami. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Zuri Ray Tries Ballet

Zuri Ray and the Backyard Bash

Freedom Soup

My Day with the Panye

Fearless Mary: Mary Fields, American Stagecoach Driver

Fearless Mary: Mary Fields, American Stagecoach Driver

All Because You Matter (An All Because You Matter Book)

Muted

Muted

We Are Here (An All Because You Matter Book)