Free Spirit Publishing 9798330905065 Pub Date: 2/17/2026 $19.99 Hardcover 44 Pages Full-color jacketed Carton Qty: 38 Ages 4 to 8, Grades P to 3 Juvenile Fiction / African American & Black JUV011010 Related Products Ebooks 9798330908240 9798330908233 Celebrate We Gullah Geechee A Kids' Look at the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Yvette R. Murray, Tonya Engel Key Selling Points Celebrates Gullah Geechee history and contemporary culture • Spotlights the importance of family, community, and place • Engages children with rhythmic writing and lots of onomatopoeia • Authored by an award-winning poet and winner of the 2022 Black Voices in Children's Literature writing contest for her poetic board book, A Gullah Geechee Color Wheel, which became this book • Includes a section for adults with additional background information Celebrate We Gullah Geechee invites children to discover Gullah culture. In this rhythmic book, five young narrators invite us “down South.” Each narrator focuses on one of the five senses, celebrating the Gullah Geechee Heritage Corridor of coastal North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Summary Celebrate We Gullah Geechee invites the reader along on a dynamic exploration of Gullah culture. With rhythm and repetition to engage children, five narrators take turns highlighting what they notice in their world, each focusing on one of the five senses. We are there with them: A girl sees a “haint blue door at Grandma’s house / Rocking chairs waiting on the porch.” On special days, we hear the marching band play—ba-da-dum-bum. Our hands explore the prickly bark of Palmetto tree trunks. Through these sensory experiences, readers will honor and learn about the culture and traditions of coastal North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. With love that shines through every line, Celebrate We Gullah Geechee: Uplifts Gullah Geechee history and contemporary culture Spotlights the importance of family, community, and place Engages children with rhythmic writing and lots of onomatopoeia Includes a section for adults with additional background information Written by award-winning poet Yvette R. Murray, this book invites children to explore their own worlds— whether near or far from the Gullah Geechee Heritage Corridor —through sense and celebration. Contributor Bio Yvette R. Murray is an award-winning poet and author of the picture book Celebrate We Gullah Geechee (Free Spirit Publishing) and the poetry collection Hush, Puppy (Finishing Line Press). She has been published in Chestnut Review, Emrys Journal, Litmosphere, A Gathering Together, and others. She is the 2022 Susan Laughter Meyers Poetry Fellow, a 2021 Best New Poet selection, a Watering Hole Fellow, and a Pushcart Prize nominee. She is also a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Yvette lives in Charleston, South Carolina. Tonya Engel is a self-taught artist and illustrator heavily influenced by folk artists of the Deep South and Harlem Renaissance pioneers, as well as Mark Chagall, Frida Kahlo, and Romare Beardon. Tonya's illustrations speak to image, identity, and relationships. Meshing decorative elements, oils, and occasional collage with emotional content, she portrays women with contemplative faces, implying a dream world that invites our interpretations. She has been the recipient of several awards and honors for her art and book illustrations, including a three-month residency in Paris, France, a Septima Clark Book Award for Rise!, a 2022 Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor Book Award for Your Legacy, and more. Tonya resides in Houston, Texas. TCM FSP Shell and CUB 2026 Titles
