Shake It Off!

Vanessa Brantley-Newton (vanessabrantleynewton.com) grew up in a musical family, and her parents taught her how to sing to help overcome her stuttering. Shake is Off is inspired by her experiences, and the story of the little goat in this book was the basis for her TED Talk, “Diversity Designed by Adversity” (tinyurl.com/y6savcqj), which highlighted the importance of knowing your own  worth and rising up when others want to put you down. Vanessa is a beloved storyteller and has illustrated numerous picture books, including New York Times bestsellers The Queen of Kindergarten and The King of Kindergarten (both by Derrick Barnes), Mary Had a Little Glam (by Tammi Sauer), One Love (by Cedella Marley), and The Youngest Marcher (by Cynthia Levinson), as well as the chapter book series Ruby and the Booker Boys (by Derrick Barnes) and Jada Jones (by Kelly Starling Lyons). Some of the picture books she’s written and illustrated include Just Like Me, Becoming Vanessa and Grandma’s Purse. Vanessa lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“With brilliantly saturated colors, showy full-bleed illustrations, and evocative depictions of music, this tale looks incredibly inviting, and its ungulate protagonist makes an undeniably appealing first impression. . . . The narration is agreeably conversational, and children will root for Little Goat as she uses traits perceived as faults to save herself. A tale likely to strike a chord with fans of the unconventional.” —Kirkus Reviews“Light and humorous tone. . . . The potential for the story (reminiscent of the parable of the donkey in the well) to be read metaphorically is encouraged by Brantley-Newton’s dedication to ‘every child who has been counted out’ and her author’s note about overcoming childhood struggles with stuttering, dyslexia, and bullying.” —The Horn Book