Support Brave Brothers Books on Small Business Saturday

Brave Brothers Books is a traditional publishing company co-founded by Jermaine and Shawnta S. Barnes in 2019. Dr. Shawnta S. Barnes is a former English teacher, literacy coach, and school librarian, and it was important to her that she did more than complain about the books missing from the shelves and instead take action to make a difference.

Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, known as the mother of multicultural children’s literature, asserted that stories are windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors. However, book publishing tends to reflect the same cookie-cutter windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors as shown by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center School of Education University of Wisconsin – Madison (CCBC).

At Brave Brothers Books, we provide diverse books for all readers. This business has been Mr. and Mrs. Barnes, along with their team, labor of love. Authors are not charged ANY money to publish a book. All books are officially lexiled increasing the chances of teachers and school leaders purchasing books for their classrooms and schools. Books are correctly formatted, ISBNs (not only Amazon numbers) are used, and books are registered with the Library of Congress. No AI writing or illustrations are used. We prioritize amplifying the voices and work of diverse humans. We aim for quality, not quantity. Our books are available anywhere books are sold online, such as Bookshop, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, and Amazon, to name a few!

Below, we have included the front and back cover of each book. Hyperlinked to the title is a link to a page on our website that lists multiple places where the book could be purchased.

Books are listed in chronological order of publication.

Because we are always asked, yes, the first two books are from the founders’ twin sons, who are also featured on the company logo. Our founders decided to start with their sons, and if the business didn’t do well, they would call it a family project and move on. However, despite the first two books being written by their sons, schools and libraries believed the books were high quality. One librarian stated, “I can’t believe this is the first book your company has published. It is indistinguishable from books I buy from large traditional publishers.”

Last, author Melodee Barnes is not related to the co-founders.

On Small Business Saturday, consider buying a book for yourself, a friend, a child you know, a classroom, or a library.

My Family’s Great Smoky Mountains Adventure by Jeremiah J. Barnes