In a powerful, poetic missive, award-winning author-illustrator

MAXINE BENEBA CLARKE

celebrates the meaning behind the words Black Lives Matter.

Little one, when we say Black Lives Matter,

we’re saying Black people are wonderful-strong.
That we deserve to be treated with basic respect,
and that history’s done us wrong. . . .

Darling, when we sing that Black Lives Matter,

and we’re dancing through the streets,
we’re saying: fear will not destroy our joy,
defiance in our feet.

In this joyful exploration of the Black Lives Matter

ON SALE SEPTEMBER 14, 2021
HC: 978-1-5362-2238-8 • $16.99 ($22.99 CAN) • Ages 6–9 • 32 pages
motto, a loving narrator relays to a young Black child
the strength and resonance behind the words. In fam-
ily life, through school, and beyond, the refrains echo
and gain in power among vignettes of protests and
scenes of ancestors creating music on djembe drums.
With deeply saturated illustrations rendered in jewel
tones, Maxine Beneba Clarke offers a gorgeous, mov-
ing, and essential picture book.

Praise for When We Say Black Lives Matter

“When We Say Black Lives Matter is an essential picture book for children of all
ages and adults of all ages, from the incredibly talented Maxine Beneba Clarke.
Incredible and very moving.” —The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)

“When We Say Black Lives Matter tells a story that simply and succinctly
explains to kids what the BLM movement stands for. Gentle and informative, it’s
perfect for navigating the conversation.” —The Age (Australia)

Illustration © 2021 by Maxine Beneba Clarke

CANDLEWICK PRESS • WWW.CANDLEWICK.COM

 MAXINE BENEBA CLARKE, a writer and slam poet champion
Photo © by Nicholas Walton-Healey

of Afro-Caribbean descent, is the author of The Patchwork Bike, illustrated by

Van Thanh Rudd. About When We Say Black Lives Matter, she says, “I see this
picture book as an act of Black Love; I was inspired to write and create it when
thinking about how to explain the concept of Black Lives Matter to the young
African diaspora kids in my extended family, living in over eight different
countries across the world.” Maxine Beneba Clarke lives in Australia.

ALSO WRITTEN BY MAXINE BENEBA CLARKE

FIVE STARRED REVIEWS
Publishers Weekly School Library Journal Kirkus Reviews
The Horn Book Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

A Boston Globe–Horn Book Award Winner

An American Library Association Notable Children’s Book
A Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book of the Year
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of the Year
A Booklist Editors’ Choice
A Horn Book Fanfare Selection
A Charlotte Zolotow Highly Commended Title
A National Council for the Social Studies Notable Trade
Book for Young People
A US Board on Books for Young People Outstanding
International Book
A New York Public Library Best Books for Kids Selection
A Chicago Public Library Best Book
An Evanston Public Library
101 Great Books for Kids List Selection
illustrated by Van Thanh Rudd
HC: 978-1-5362-0031-7 • PB: 978-1-5362-1741-4
Also available as an e-book

“Clarke’s poetically compressed language hurtles joyfully along, while

Rudd’s illustrations, made on cardboard boxes with spirited swaths of
paint, burst with irrepressible life. Dreaming and building, we see, go hand
in hand no matter where you live.” —The New York Times Book Review

Illustration © 2018 by Van Thanh Rudd