Sandra Pinkney and her husband, Myles, live in Poughkeepsie, New York, with their three children – all of whom appear in Shades of Black. “I am the midnight blur in a licorice stick and the golden brown in sugar,” says Sandra’s lyric text at one point. Each such statement – summarized by the phrase, “I am Black. I am unique.” is accompanied by an exquisite photograph of an African American child of corresponding skin tone, holding the food to which he or she is being compared. The book went on to win the NAACP Image Award in 2001 for Outstanding Children’s Literary Work. Sandra Pinkney is also director of a daycare center in her hometown. Myles Pinkney is the brother of Brian Pinkney and the son of Jerry Pinkney. For more information about Sandra L. and Myles C. Pinkney, visit: scholastic.com/tradebooks