PBS Books

[Music] we dream a world where the only walls are those that hold safe spaces and have Windows and mirrors and reflect our Unity Beauty has no boundaries more behind the pages of we dream a world carrying the light from my grandparents Martin Luther King Jr and ketta Scott King with debut author Londa Renee King and award-winning watercolor artist Nicole tadel next on PBS [Music] books I'm Heather Marie montia and you're watching PBS books welcome today we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr day while his message is one that PBS books incorporates into our programming throughout the year I am thrilled to bring you a special program and an amazing book carrying the light from my grandparents Martin Luther King Jr and ketta Scott King we dream a world by Yolanda Renee King and illustrated by Nicole tadel this book is the perfect book for any young person in your life or anyone you know who's young at heart it is beautifully written and has gorgeous illustrations let's welcome our guest Yolanda Renee King welcome thank you for having me I'm so excited to have you on PBS Books thank you so much for being here can you start by telling us a little bit about your book and what inspired you to write it so the book is called we dream a world and um interestingly enough it's inspired by linkston hughes's poem I dream a world which actually um inspired um my grandfather's I Have a Dream speech which is interesting and so I the book really shows I mean it it has the um it has a description in its name it shows the type of world that we can have the type of world that we can dream of I think that's so often I think that it's great now that we're finally ackn acknowledging these issues and we're having conversations about it but I think sometimes we forget what is the potential what type of world are we creating and so through poetic um language and through imagery from with the beautiful illustrations it really describes the type of world that we can have so how did you be how did you begin well it be it's so interesting because it so amazing to me because it really began from having meetings and just some ideas on a document a Google Document and then I remember um things kind of slowed down during the pandemic then I remember the process of picking an illustrator and looking over the illustrations and and really it's so amazing because now I mean it um the book first started off as a Google Document and now it's like it's a copy right here and so I I just find that so amazing to me and so it really just started as an idea like let's make a book and let's see what happens and then a follow up of a bunch of meetings and a bunch of drafts and and a bunch of brainstorming floors first before we even saw a prototype and then I even remember seeing the PDF and now it's a physical book and I find that quite amazing it's extraordinary you know your book it deals with Legacy and expectations placed upon you because you are the granddaughter of Martin Luther King Jr and ketta Scott King can you talk a little bit about the pressure and expectations that go beyond the typical teenager sure well I think I I first want to put out there that I I am very grateful that I have parents and a family that is not forced me to do this type of work that has not forced me into a legacy and they've told me from a young age if you decide not to take this path then that is okay we understand the commitment we understand the brain and if you want to choose something else and if you want to be something else or take another path then we will completely support that and so I think having that space to kind of not be forced into a legacy really I mean clear there is a legacy because um both of my grandparents had such a huge one that there is kind of like a legacy and there is a pressure but I will say that I it's almost as though even though there is pressure I have like a support unit I still have people to support me and and and so that really I think that really helps and having that breathing room and having that just having room in general Yolanda how have you been able to Define your own Journey well I would say that it's not fully defined yet and that I'm still at excuse me the very beginning of my journey and honestly I um I mean I I have thought about I guess the paths that I may take in the future but we just you just have I guess we just have to wait and I and I think that I've had a a great start so far but I don't know if I can put yet like a specific definition since I feel like I'm just at the very very beginning of my journey so I absolutely love your book is there a favorite or one of your favorite segments that you could read from the book sure so I really well I really adore the climax of the book where it goes into we dream world and I think that really show I think that really is the most beautiful and most impactful part of the book so here we go so Ouija world where school is a safe place free of fear no violence Spoken Here we dream a world where guns are not games shoot for the stars not at each other we dream a world where poverty is a memory Liberty Justice and food for all there's more we dream a world where the only walls are those that hold safe spaces and have Windows and mirrors and reflect our Unity Beauty has no boundaries we dream a world where trees flowers and the Earth's creatures thrive in their right Seasons spring summer winter fall honesty is the warmest climate we dream a world where bullies turn their backs on being mean let kindness begin with me we dream a world where sickness can be driven out by the healing power of Hope love is the cure we dream a world where every child can go to college education FS our nation reading is believing that is beautiful um and I love that it ends with reading is believing can we bring in Nicole tadel who is the the amazing illustrator welcome Nicole thank you for coming oh you're welcome I'm so glad to be here and thank you for inviting me well I'm so excited to be able to have both of you and just Yolanda just read her words on your gorgeous pages the illustrations can you talk a little bit about the process oh okay sure um my process watercolor illustrations and I first begin with pencil drawings so I'll I I received Yolanda's manuscript and I just um loved it from the very beginning it was beautiful and I could I know it's a good manuscript for me when I see pictures in my head right away that's that's what I did and as part of my process I'll sit down with a notebook or or any kind of paper and I'll just doodle and um sort of keep my mind maybe listening to a a TV show while I'm doodling at the same time because it really has that left brain right brain activation and I'll come up with um sketches that that that resonate with the different sections of um of of the manuscript and then I'll do larger drawings and those get submitted to the publisher who shares it with the author and when those get approved then I do final drawings and I also put in a a little bit of research um in there um where if it's if it's if it's right for the particular spread I'm thinking of like for example the image with Yolanda and her parents in front of the um the statue of Martin Luther King Jr in um um Washington DC so I traveled there um because I didn't want to use somebody else's photo I want to use my own photo traveled there and it was pouring out rain so we got our photographs there and I also got to see the um the Museum of African-American history and culture which was also very impactful uh because Yolanda's words really unite the past the present and launches young people into the future and that's what I really loved most about that so I knew the images needed to be imaginative and open and to just breathe just like young people need to have the space to breathe and to grow and to create the beautiful future that we know can happen Yolanda did you get to see then along the way Nicole's illustrations and how how did that work so I did I got to see I remember um those meetings were honestly I think the really the illustration meetings and really seeing the illustrations it was my favorite part of the process I was really excited to see the illustrations and I and I want to say thank you for because you are exactly like what I had and like for like the vision of the book and so and so thank you for that because you really bring the book to life and I I haven't been able to formally thank you but I really wanted to I really want to at first acknowledge your work and thank you for that because I I think that words are powerful but also images are powerful and I remember even and um when I was like in first grade during deer um drop everything and read um I remember I would always go to the picture but and I would just stare at the images like even before like the writing I would just stare at the images for like five minutes per page like trying to analyze each image trying to take that in and so I think that the imagery is really important so it was my favorite it was honestly my favorite part of the process but to going back to the question I kind of went on a little a little ramp but um to answer the question um I feel like um like I I remember seeing the sketches and then I remember from the sketches um there was color and then from the color there was even more color and so I I really got to see the drafts and the sketches were really so powerful and and then I remember when they were like okay like now we have it in like now we have the sketches but they were in color so I really got to see all the images and and so I think that it's so cool that I mean you I I got to see the process it's it's almost like I mean since it's Christmas time it's almost well I guess this won't be coming out on Christmas but it's almost like um it's almost like a Christmas tree where you first take it out and then you decorate the tree and so I really got to see which I I think is a beautiful part of this process I really got to um see kind of like the tree being decorated I think that's a beautiful metaphor and the your book Yolanda has so many metaphors and your words are so poetic um I remember that you talk about Legacy and you talk about a gar um why did you choose that metaphor and then yeah why did you choose it well I think that likewise a a legacy or likewise a garden excuse me I feel like Gardens I mean there it's full of plants it's always growing there's a bunch of abundance and so I think that Legacy is the same way I mean Legacy and I and I think a lot of people think oh Legacy is already decided but I think um as we grow as humans and as we take our path I think that our Legacy is growing it's almost like it's almost like when you're in a a boat I use a lot of metaphors but um it's almost like when you're in a boat and there's the Horizon and it it seems like by the time you get to that Horizon it's going to end but it keeps expanding and and so I think that it's the same way of legacy and I think that Gardens I mean Gardens when you think about it are rich and beautiful and and are the plants are constantly growing and there's a lot of greenery there's a lot of color there's a lot of flavor but but but when you first when the garden is brand new when it first starts off it may it um it may start off as be but it hasn't fully grown it hasn't fully gotten into the mold and so that's why I think that Legacy is almost like Garden so Yolanda that's so beautiful and I love that you use metaphors even to explain your metaphor there is um you say we are ready and I I feel like Nicole said so much of your book is about optimism for the future for the future generations of society um and so my question for you is what what do you see for that future and then maybe we can look at some of the illustrations too I well I really see this book as the future to be on and I and I think that this book almost shows us what the future can look like and and and so I see a future the way in which um this book describes it all we need to do is um put in a little work and work together and honestly I mean it only takes a few good um women and men and people in general to to make change and and so I think that that's important U to know so just really I think inspiring kids to get involved to show them that like if if you put in the work this is the potential I mean if you think about everything and being good at every anything or accomplishing something it takes it takes work and so I think just putting in work and if we all just work together then I I see a future um the way that this book describes it and and and I'm not suggesting that it's going to be easy I'm not suggesting that it's going to be like lightweight lifting it's going to there's going to be some heavy weights there's going to be a lot of work but if we they all in this and if just and even just if a few people pitch in or or if people pitch but it doesn't have to be no one like we don't need like a we don't need like a million nobble peace prizes you don't need a Nobel Peace Prize to be considered a change maker to make change even if it's just going to uh the climate the local climate change demonstration or starting a club where um you will go to demonstrations on the weekend or or um or starting a book club or finding a way like using um I guess Innovative thinking to solve an issue to solve an issue in your community I think really just um my like small contributions will really help in the long run and and I also think um it's important to hold our politicians accountable so writing letters and calling in I I think everyone can do a little bit at they and and only a few people um only a few people have to make major but I don't think that everyone necessarily needs to do something major and I think a lot of people feel the pressure because I think sometimes we we learn about these great leaders we learn about these great movements and we hear about the um the big contributions but without the the minor contributions then the big contributions wouldn't get the Boost that they got so the minor contri or I I don't even think that they're minor contributions but what people would consider the minor contri tions are really the base of the big change I couldn't agree more I think very well said um it is extraordinary because it's the change makers at every level and it starts it starts small it starts local and it's how and it starts you know this book will will have and create change in such a beautiful way because it's about love and it's about Hope and it has this uplifting message for that we're ready to change the future and I think your words Yolanda and Nicole's gorgeous illustrations really will help more more people to see that so Nicole question for you I know every spread is gorgeous I mean I think I think before the program I showed you about seven I liked can you share some of your favorites and if you have the actual artwork I would love it sure um it's it's difficult I know to I I have a few over here that I could share um this is I can over yeah this is one of my favorites and as you can see it's um you can see a lot more you know up up above and below and um I liked this one because it showed it shows uh several kids uh together that are pretty fairly close in age and I wanted to show a different A diversity of um of of Ages races abilities um gender and um you know and and to have it be positive and colorful and um arm in arm and some of the kids are based on people that I know and I I really think of of young people as as young people you know I don't really think of kids as as being kids and I I don't believe in talking down to kids either verbally or visually I really feel that you know obviously age appropriate but but kids the way that that young people see the world world is beautiful and it's something that I'm I feel blessed that I never forgot what it what the world looked like when I was young and and I I I try to let that show through my work so another one that I like is this one because let me get this way this way this one the sketch phase I was showing um leaving room for the text that I knew needed to to go in that space and um I have been a science fiction geek for many years where I would uh read and watch science fiction and so space is always fascinated me and being able to to paint the planets and interestingly um when I was painting that the new footage was just coming in from the uh the new telescope so the new images of Jupiter were coming in as I was painting that so like oh I gotta upgrade and show Jupiter the way the way it's uh it's it's uh that the new images showed well those are both extraordinary how long does it take you did it typically take you to paint a spread once the idea had been approved by the publisher that's an interesting question um I used to try to keep track so that I could answer that question in the future um but you know I usually I work on probably three or four paintings at once so they have them on different boards and I I switched them out because watercolor takes time to dry um so I would paint the background of one and I'd set it aside and take another one paint another area and set it aside and just keep rotating them so the painting stage on four paintings might take two or three weeks um but also keep in mind I don't work on them eight hours a day right so okay that's fair that's fair well I know this this project for both of you was a huge undertaking um as we start to close conversation if there's one takeaway you would want your readers or your observers for the illustrator to take away from this book what is that one takeaway do you want me to go to First sure okay if there was one takeaway for young people to on this book visually I would want them to see themselves first and I would want them to see others and I the the emphasis would be equal because I want kids to know that this is a future that they can have that they can create that they can enhance and that anything they do to push this forward is enough Yolanda takeaway that was I just want to say that was beautiful um and I would also I mean I I agree with everything you said but I also want them people to read the book and to be able to have hope I think that so much there's so much I guess almost despair in this world or we hear almost like the negative the negativity and um I think that sometimes times that can be draining and and so I think having a reminder visually and and through words but really through the imagery um what type of world we can have like this yes there are issues present right now yes it can be hard yes it will be a long journey but we can create this world and this is what it will look like and and I think that um I think that from the book like I mean looking at that world it seems like aett awesome world like I would I would love to live in that world and I think that so many others would agree and so I think that by seeing that world I hope that inspires people to really have hope and and to hopefully even furthermore start something in their communities and once again I really want to emphasize it doesn't have to be something major I mean if it is or um I mean if it is something major great but then also you can there are ways and there are things that you can do locally and or you can join a group in your community um to really help Advocate and to really do something and and it only takes a um it only takes a few good people I guess to um to make huge change but then also I think that we forget about the which I said earlier the database of people that are I guess like in their local communities or um in their schools or in their neighborhoods who are really making change and at a at what people consider a minor level which in my opinion is not minor any sort of change is the large any sort of work is is progress and and so I really think I really want people to see the type of it's almost like a pitch like to kind of show them that this is a type of world that we can I love that and I will say the message of kindness to be kind hope and be a chang maker certainly comes through on this book book all right one last question for both of you favorite library and that that's hard because I have I have many favorite libraries but just one favorite one of your favorites there you go one of your favorite libraries ladies to starta start so okay this isn't a library I'm more of like a bookstore person so I like going to bookstores I like I like going to I know this is very like main but like I enjoy um bars and Noel like I enjoy getting a few books from Barnes & Noble and then having coffee or getting Starbucks or something after that like I I really enjoy like the whole books and coffee and um drink and oh yes and of course the um MLK Library in Washington I I really do think that that's a beautiful Library so if we're talking about libraries I would say the MLK Library and it's so if you're ever in the Washington or uh or the DC area then I definitely recommend to visit that Library it's so like like the architecture and the design is is so beautiful as well so I love that library and also um I will consider myself more of a Bookstar person um and also of course my schools Library I mean I mean I could I found some especially when I was younger um I credit them for helping me get into reading and I found some pretty cool books in there certainly Nicole wow favorite oh my goodness I have to pick one one of your favorites one of my favorites um I would say probably my first favorite Library I'll talk about that one my first favorite library was the Norton public library in Norton Massachusetts and I spent many long hours there it was an old New England Building with creaky floors and wood and the smell of books was just Heavenly to me it was quiet and peaceful and in there I my imagination went to many different worlds liary that's the beauty of libraries and about books is that it can transport you to other places as this book when I read it transported me to a place where everyone worked together and got along and it was a beautiful world and I think that is the the beautiful future we can all dream so I just want to thank you both for being guests today we do need to close the program but Yolanda thank you for your poetic words um for your vision and inspiration to to create this book um and Nicole thank you for bringing the words alive this has been an extraordinary conversation it's been so heartfelt and it's been so fun and I want to thank you both for for that um thank you I want to thank all of our viewers for joining us for more book interviews check out our great library of behind the book conversations with authors you love and discover your next favorite book you can go to PBS books.org make sure you also like And subscribe on Facebook and YouTube so you never miss an episode until next time I'm Heather Marie montia and happy [Music] reading