Growing up in the late 19th century, Laura Wheeler Waring didn't see any artists who looked like her. She didn't see any paintings of people who looked like her, either. As a young woman studying art in Paris, she found inspiration in the works of Matisse and Gaugin to paint the people she knew best. Back in Philadelphia, the Harmon Foundation commissioned her to paint portraits of accomplished African-Americans. Her portraits still hang in Washington DC's National Portrait Gallery, where children of all skin tones can admire the beautiful shades of brown she captured. Illustrated by Felicia Marshall. Creston Books. Lerner Books. Hardcover and on Vooks. Available for educators in paperback through the Scholastic Teacher Store.
A wonderful time sharing Beautiful Shades of Brown at the Dallas Literary Festival at SMU March 4, 2023!
At the Dallas Literary Festival at SMU with my friend, Professor Karen Thomas of SMU, a former colleague from The Dallas Morning News
The real Laura Wheeler Waring at work in her studio
Grateful to Madeline Murphy Rabb, Laura Wheeler Waring’s great grandniece, who helped with the research and art.
A fabulous time presenting Beautiful Shades of Brown and watching kids draw like Laura Wheeler Waring at Bookmarks, a Dallas Public Library branch at NorthPark Center in Dallas
Children drawing beautiful shades of brown just like Laura Wheeler Waring at Bookmarks, a Dallas Public Library branch at NorthPark Center in Dallas.
Reading BEAUTIFUL SHADES OF BROWN at the fifth Ruby Bridges Reading Festival Aug. 27, 2023. Read about this amazing festival here.
Reading Beautiful Shades of Brown at the Ruby Bridges Reading Festival at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee
An honor to spend time with Ruby Bridges, with illustrator Nikkolas Smith, with social activists Joan Trumpauer Holland, Loki Mulholland, Reverend Dr. Mike Waters
BEAUTIFUL SHADES OF BROWN, THE ART OF LAURA WHEELER WARING released Feb. 4, 2020 from Creston Books/Lerner Books! Now also available for educators at the Teacher Store at Scholastic.
Deeply honored to present BEAUTIFUL SHADES OF BROWN and CHARLIE TAKES HIS SHOT at the fabulous, free Tulisoma Book Fair at the African American Museum in Fair Park, Dallas. Come say hey! tulisomabookfair.org
Educators, did you know you can celebrate diversity by using STEAM to mix colors, in lessons that use Beautiful Shades of Brown, the Art of Laura Wheeler Waring? That's right, and you'll find it all on Patrica Newman's marvelous LitLinks blog by clicking here.
Recommended by The Morning Bell USA for Women’s History Month, March 2022
Check out a recording of my Beautiful Shades of Brown storytime that was part of the Brave Girls series at the National Women’s History Museum in Washington D.C. Jan. 19.
THANK YOU FOR VOTING! My mom, Flora Churnin, was very happy that Beautiful Shades of Brown was a finalist for the KIDS’ CHOICE BOOK AWARDS. Mom couldn’t vote because voting is limited to kids ages 3-18, but she appreciates all of you that voted for this true story about painter Laura Wheeler Waring, who used her paintbrush to bring representation into museums and make a stand for civil rights. This labor of love for illustrator Felicia Marshall and me features reproductions of this great artist's actual paintings, thanks to the gracious permission of Laura Wheeler Waring's family and the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institute. We hope Laura's story inspires kids to paint their world, too.
Love this page packed with resources that Washington Library Association created for Beautiful Shades of Brown as one of the Towner Award 2022 Nominees. Click on it here.
I was honored to talk about Beautiful Shades of Brown in a virtual presentation hosted by Harvard College Student Chapter of Storywish. Thank you, Felicia Ho, co-founder of Storywish, who made this happen, and Harvard History of Art and Architecture PhD student Kéla Jackson, for a fascination conversation about searching for self-representation and identity in art of the African Diaspora.
Check out the recording on the Events Page of Storywish here.
AWARDS
2022 Finalist for Kids’ Choice Book Awards, online voting was open to ages 3-18.
2022 Towner Award Nominee from the Washington Library Association
On the Publishers Weekly 2020-2022 STEM/STEAM Biographies for Young People list here.
Bank Street College of Education picks BEAUTIFUL SHADES OF BROWN, illustrated by Felicia Marshall, for Bank Street’s Best Children’s Books 2021 list in the Biography and Memoir Category!
Beautiful Shades of Brown: The Art of Laura Wheeler Waring
by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by Felicia Marshall (Creston Books, $18.99) 978-1-939547-65-1
Waring, an early 20th-century Black artist, was commissioned to paint portraits of prominent African Americans. Painterly reproductions beautifully capture the brown facial tones. (7-10)
On the Lone Star Literary Life 2021 Kids’ Summer Reads list
2021 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young Readers list from the National Council for the Social Studies and the Children’s Book Council
2021 Finalist for Best Picture Book of the Year from World Magazine
2020 Silver Eureka from The California Reading Association
2020 A Mighty Girl pick
Beautiful Shades of Brown has been animated and made available to subscribers on Vooks.
Click here to see BEAUTIFUL SHADES OF BROWN featured on NBCDFW!
Beautiful Shades of Brown is featured on Shepherd, a newsletter about books, with a post I did on the five best children's books about art here.
Honored by this thoughtful feature on Beautiful Shades of Brown by Tom Bober @CaptainLibrary for the American Association of School Librarians. Click here.
Click here to see me talking about BEAUTIFUL SHADES OF BROWN with Civic U Nebraska
Click here to see Laura Wheeler Waring’s great-nephew, Rep Christopher Rabb of Pennsylvania read the book.
Watch for Beautiful Shades of Brown to be featured in Good Trouble for Kids!
Thrilled to talk about BEAUTIFUL SHADES OF BROWN with Jane McGarry on Good Morning Texas! https://www.wfaa.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/good-morning-texas/beautiful-shades-of-brown-author-nancy-churnin/287-5fec86e9-a850-4b97-b9eb-17b26c6afaf4
The free downloadable Teacher Guide is available on my Teacher Guide page and you can check out the book trailer below.
A lovely review from Spirituality & Practice:
“Nancy Churnin has done an inspired job of making this biography reflect aspirations held by African Americans in particular but also by any young person with a vision for expressing what they love most. Laura herself would be proud of the way that illustrator Felicia Marshall brings the story to life, starting with the book's cover portrait of the young artist testing her paints to match her own skin tone. Intended for children ages 6 - 12, this book is sure to spark delight in anyone who appreciates art and the strength of the human spirit.”
From School Library Journal:
“This biography succeeds by keeping its focus on Waring’s artistic journey. When discussing her portrait of singer Marian Anderson, Churnin forms an emotional link between these two women and spotlights the potential for their work to break barriers. The straightforward narrative allows young readers to connect with Waring as a person, recognize her dedication to her craft, and appreciate her accomplishments. The recurring theme of brown as a complex and beautiful color is an effective metaphor for the celebration of African American people and culture central to Waring’s work. Marshall’s painted illustrations are an artistic tribute rendered in the style of Waring’s paintings. VERDICT A meticulously crafted account of a trailblazing artist. Recommended for general purchase, particularly for libraries looking to include more biographies of black women artists.–Elizabeth Lovsin, Deerfield Public Library, IL”
VERDICT A meticulously crafted account of a trailblazing artist. Recommended for general purchase, particularly for libraries looking to include more biographies of black women artists.
From Midwest Book Review:
"Intended for young readers ages 7-11, especially young black girls, Beautiful Shades of Brown is a picture book biography of Laura Wheeler Waring (1887-1948), a female African-American artist who skillfully painted portraits of important African-Americans of her day. Many of her portraits became part of the collections of major museums. Informative, inspiring, and enhanced with a timeline as well as reproductions of some of Waring's most beloved portraits, Beautiful Shades of Brown is highly recommended for both school and public library children's collections."
And on The Black History Channel from award-winning children’s book author, Rita Lorraine Hubbard, author of Hammering for Freedom and The Oldest Student:
Beautiful Shades of Brown is a lovely book about talent, dreams, and working past obstacles to find success. Although Laura Wheeler lived during segregation and blatant racial discrimination, she did not allow the rules of the day (namely, that an African American artist’s paintings would never hang in a white art gallery) to stop her from perfecting her talent and pursuing her dreams. The book is a confirmation to contemporary students with talents, plans and dreams that they should hold on to their desires and keep pushing forward, no matter how many obstacles they face.
Read the full review on The Black History Channel here
‘30 New Books About Inspiring Women For Black History Month’ from A Mighty Girl
From A Mighty Girl:
As a child, Laura Wheeler Waring loved mixing paints to get the perfect shade — especially if it was to capture the skin colors of people in her family. But she couldn't help but notice that museums didn't show paintings of people with brown skin. Defying prejudice, she studied art at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and then in Paris, where work by Matisse and Gaugin encouraged her to paint the people she knew. And when she returned home to America, her portraits of famous African American people would become classic works of art that still inspire visitors to the National Portrait Gallery. This beautiful picture book about a trailblazing artist celebrates self-expression, diversity, and welcoming different points of view.
Read about Beautiful Shades of Brown in A Mighty Girl here
From What’s Not Wrong by Gary Anderson:
“Beautiful Shades of Brown: The Art of Laura Wheeler Waring is a worthwhile addition to library, classroom, and family bookshelves. Young readers will linger over the illustrations before turning each page, and the story’s nuances will emerge as returning readers develop in sophistication and maturity.” Read the full review here.
From Picture Books 4 Learning:
"Nancy Churnin’s books have become some of my favorite nonfiction picture books to share in my classroom. She always captures the life and work of someone who left an impact on the world. Laura Wheeler Waring was an artist who longed to see portraits of people who looked like her...This is an excellent book that is a perfect addition to any Black History unit. My students loved learning about such a remarkable woman." Read the full review here.
From Don Tate, award-winning author and illustrator of Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton:
“Marshall’s realistic and well-researched artwork is as rich and textured as the life of Laura Wheeler Waring. The story is authentic, and as I read it, I could almost smell oil paints and thinners long gone from my own studio. Thank you to Nancy Churnin and Felicia Marshall for bringing to light a story to be enjoyed by boys and girls, whites and blacks and browns — and everyone in between.”
From Joan Steinau Lester, award-winning author of Black, White, Other:
“What a magnificent book, suffused with love and joy! I will never again see the color brown without looking for the many textures and colors within it. I wish I had this book when my brown-skinned children were young. I will buy copies for every child I know.”
From Patricia Tilton on Children’s Books Heal:
“Waring is the perfect role model for little girls who have big dreams. Determined and committed to pursuing her passion, young Laura began to manifest her dreams. She was self-confident, believed in her gift, and welcomed each opportunity that came her way. Most important, she was paving the way for girls and women to live their dreams.
Felicia Marshall’s illustrations are rich, beautiful, expressive and soulful. My favorite illustration shows the joy Waring feels as she paints Marian Anderson’s red gown and remembers the day she first heard her sing.”
You can also see a gallery of portraits, including those by Laura Wheeler Waring, at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. here. Thank you, Erin Beasley, at the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, for your help with this book in a journey that has stretched on a few years, but has been worth every minute!
The incredibly talented Felicia Marshall of Houston, Texas is the illustrator. Read an interview with her in The Kids Are All Write by clicking here. Check out her other work on her website here.
Self-portrait by Felicia Marshall, illustrator of BEAUTIFUL SHADES OF BROWN
It has been an incredible honor to work on the first picture book about this great artist. I am deeply thankful to Laura Wheeler Waring’s great-niece, Madeline Murphy Rabb, the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian Museum of American Art for permission to reproduce Waring’s paintings in our book.
The book is available on Amazon , at Barnes & Noble, Interabang Books, Express Booksellers and additional bookstores (if it’s not there, please request). Don’t forget to ask your local library to stock a copy or two — and check them out. Reviews on Amazon and Goodreads are a great, free way to help authors and illustrators, too. Please help spread the word on how amazing Felicia Marshall’s illustrations are; she deserves recognition!
Nancy with a Laura Wheeler Waring painting of Alice Dunbar Nelson at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. The painting is reproduced in the book, ‘Beautiful Shades of Brown,’ illustrated by Felicia Marshall
