Tameka Fryer Brown

Tameka Fryer Brown, a native of Miami, Florida, has called Charlotte, North Carolina home for more than 20 years. Her first literary accomplishment as a children’s book writer came when she was awarded one of two First Prizes in the 2008 Cheerios® Spoonfuls of Stories® New Author Contest. In the Fall of 2010, Abrams Books for Young Readers published her debut picture book, Around Our Way on Neighbors' Day. To date it has sold over 100,000 copies, a great number having been purchased by New York's Board of Education.

My Cold Plum Lemon Pie Bluesy Mood, Brown’s second picture book, was published in March of 2013 by Viking Children’s/PRH, and illustrated by the award-winning Shane W. Evans. Its awards and accolades include a 2014 Charlotte Zolotow Honor Award for excellence in picture book text, Bank Street College Best Book of 2014, CCBC Choices Best Book of 2014, and one of NYPL’s 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing, 2013.

Tameka was one of many distinguished contributors to We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices, featuring fifty of the foremost diverse children's authors and illustrators, (2018). Her most recent book is Brown Baby Lullaby, illustrated by A.G. Ford, (2020). It has been named an Amazon Best Book of the Year and one of NPR's 100 Favorite Books for Young Readers.

Praise for Brown Baby Lullaby:

"A perfect read-aloud for bedtime." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"The springy rhyme is sweet without being saccharine, and touches of Spanish and neat phrasing add verve. This has high baby shower appeal, but it also has vigor, snap, and charm, to suit the actual kid audience."

—BCCB

Praise for My Cold Plum Lemon Pie Bluesy Mood:

“It’s valuable both for its believable exposition of Jamie’s interior world and for its warm portrait of the life of a nonwhite family in which sharing is essential, rules are followed, conflicts are resolved, and meals are enjoyed together.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“In refreshingly inventive free verse, sprinkled with some rhyming lines, MY COLD PLUM LEMON PIE BLUESY MOOD does what the best poetry does: expresses feelings with nuance and metaphors…it sends a subtle message that it’s OK to have different moods (everybody does), and it’s cool for boys to open up about their feelings.” –Common Sense Media (5 Stars)

Praise for Around Our Way on Neighbors' Day

“[A]n African American girl bounces around her urban neighborhood celebrating Neighbors’ Day…happily surrounded by a multicultural crowd.… The acrylic art is saturated with rich color, energetic movement, and abstract figures and shapes, all reminiscent of Jacob Lawrence’s art. Most scenes are double-page spreads that, together with the words, demonstrate the size and diversity of a joyful world.”—Booklist

“…The book’s lively illustrations and energetic main character lead readers to think about their own neighborhood, and the kind acts and community spirit that make good neighbors. This story in verse is sure to receive a warm welcome, and it might inspire youngsters to institute their own ‘Neighbors’ Day.’”—School Library Journal