Ebony Lynn Mudd

✨Still sobbing over this moment 😭😭😭 We told our son he gets to meet his favorite authors @angiethomas and @jamespontibooks + hear Rick Riordan and @markdoesstuff speak this weekend at the @bookmarksncfestival and he completely lost it. Tears, screams, the whole thing. And I’ll never forget it. To see a Black boy cry over BOOKS in the middle of a literacy crisis? That’s hope. That’s powerful. 💙📚 Representation matters. Story matters. This BLACK BOY JOY matters. #kidlit #blackboyjoy #angiethomas #bookmarksfestival #literacymatters #readingisfun #readingiscool #readingrainbow

SWIPE all the way until the end to see a sneak peek from our segment! Still processing the magic of this moment on the @jenniferhudsonshow . 💛 So much more to say later, but for now….gratitude. This is a moment we’ll never forget. From loving books to being on TV talking about them. What a gift! So many people to thank. More soon. #thejenniferhudsonshow #jenniferhudson #kidlit #blackboyjoy #readingisfun

✨AHHHH!!!✨ I don’t know which big news I’m more excited about! And this video is LONG, so I’m going to try and keep the caption short. I can finally share this with you all… I’m officially a People Magazine–featured author! 😭💃🏾 My debut picture book is here, and I get to share the legacy of Tina Turner with the next generation!!!! And shout out to TEAM TINA because I am such a small piece of this puzzle — @tinaturner , @maruga_illustration , @penguinworkshop , @penguinkids , @tyianac_ , @tay_abby , @agentemurph ‼️ I have so much to say about this book, but what an absolute honor. What an honor that Tina herself knew about this project before she passed and gave her blessing. What an honor that her estate is now working so closely with us to make sure this book can be a part of keeping her legacy alive. And what an honor that her husband, Erwin Bach, wrote the foreword for the book. 🤎 To have this dream announced in People Magazine of all places… I have no words. Just tears, joy, and gratitude. My sister would be so proud of me. So today, I’m going to be proud for her! This book means everything to me, and I cannot wait to share more about it with you. 🖤 #JustLikeTina #TinaTurner #PeopleMagazine #KidLit #picturebooks

For the last five years, @pbrisingstars has provided over 140+ picture book creators (mostly from historically underrepresented creators) with free mentorship. These are creators who have too often been left trying to navigate publishing alone. But there are thousands more where that came from. There’s been a lot of talk in the picture book world lately about how we should be uplifting or speaking about each other and each other’s work. It had me thinking a lot about the people who are not yet published. Or those who don’t have an agent yet. What are they feeling about their work through all this and how are we stepping up? And as someone who has been on the ground doing that work for five years with aspiring creators, I know exactly how to help. I’ve watched picture book creators spend thousands of dollars, endless emotional energy, and so much time trying to piece together support from different workshops, conferences, webinars, critique groups, social media advice, and publishing spaces that often leave people feeling more overwhelmed than empowered. So I built something new. The @pbrisingstars Collective was built because creators deserve more than occasional inspiration or a firehouse of information that doesn’t apply to their unique situation. They deserve real craft conversations. Honest publishing guidance. Thoughtful critique based on the vision THEY have for their story. Safe Community. Momentum. And Support that actually continues. And honestly? None of that happens without incredible authors, illustrators, author-illustrators, and publishing professionals willing to pour back into the community too 😭💛 So as the Collective grows, we’re looking for thoughtful faculty who care deeply about helping picture book creators in REAL ways. People who want to teach. Encourage. Give 1:1 critiques. Share honestly. And help us continue building the kind of publishing ecosystem many of us wish existed years ago. And yes… we believe creators that join our faculty deserve to be compensated fairly for the wisdom they share. If that sounds like something you’d potentially be interested in, we’d absolutely love to hear from you ✨

Out of the mouth of babes! This boy made me a mom, and the way we brag on each other should be studied!!! 🥹🥹🤎🤎 Get you a son who will brag about about his mama’s picture book and talk about books and reading and libraries on the @jenniferhudsonshow 🥹 The best book promotion comes from your kids! Happy Mother’s Day to me!!! And anyone notice @cmlibrary the university location in the pics of Max with his huge book stacks? #kidlit #picturebook #jenniferhudson #mothers

Reading Rainbow library joy got a whole lot happier with a visit to Jennifer Hudson’s Happy Place with extraordinary library kid Max and Max’s mom (@ebonylynnmudd ) 📚🌈✨🥹

Peak library joy & book joy to help surprise library kid Max on @jenniferhudsonshow 🥹📚 Video Description: Library kid Max kindly talks about Mychal Threets, author & host of Reading Rainbow, being one of his inspirations. There aren’t a lot of people of color or men as librarians, and Max questions where would be without them. Jennifer Hudson appears inspired by Max and surprises him by inviting Mychal the Librarian to join them on the happy place. Mychal appears smiling & waving, hugging both Max and Jennifer Hudson. Max’s mom, @ebonylynnmudd , looks on as he kindly calls Mychal his role model as he sits next to him, and Jennifer Hudson asks how it feels for Mychal to hear from library kids he may be inspiring ✨ #Bookstagram #Books #BookWorm #Library #Story

Opening spreads are where the magic has to happen immediately. No warm-up, no easing in just: grab the reader and don’t let go. For Just Like Tina, this took multiple sketch rounds and close collaboration with the whole team. But when it clicked, we all knew. Curious about the process? Swipe to see how this spread evolved from first rough ideas to final illustration. @ebonylynnmudd @tay_abby @tyianac_ @lynnpo @penguinworkshop @penguinclassroom @tinaturner I’m taking on new illustration projects from end of April — DM me or find the link in bio!

If you keep reading a lot of picture books but you are craving a real spread-by-spread breakdown of the craft….you are going to want to lean in! On April 7th, Ebony Lynn Mudd and Jerrold Connors are hosting a free, live MFA-style picture book breakdown where they study what’s working across both text and art!! This is not surface-level. Not vague. This is the kind of space where you can feel your understanding shift in real time, because everyone is in the room together, noticing, learning, and growing. And you will leave with tangible craft you can actually use!!! ✨ To maximize your experience, attendees should read the selected book ahead of time — The One & Only Googoosh by Azadeh Westergaard ✨ Then come ready to really study it and break it down spread-by-spread If you’ve been craving a picture book craft class that goes deeper…this is it! Save your spot at

Join us tomorrow, Saturday March 7th as we celebrate and welcome @ebonylynnmudd release of Just Like Tina! Hear the story, Meet the Author abd grab your copy!!! You don't wanna miss this incredible storytime and signing!!

We recently had the pleasure of welcoming author Ebony Mudd to our Literacy Hub at PS 214. With her debut book Just Like Tina, inspired by the life of Tina Turner, Ebony taught students about self-acceptance and friendship, and how they could be “simply the best” if they embrace what makes them unique.  After Ebony read Just Like Tina, she played some of Tina Turner’s most popular songs on vinyl and taught the students the steps from one of Tina’s iconic routines.  As Ebony shared with our students, this is what happens when we teach Black music legacy as Black history, when Black icons are not presented as distant figures of the past, but as living legacies whose influence continues to shape our world today.  Her dynamic and interactive workshop captivated our students and fostered thoughtful dialogue, connection, and inspiration.  Thank you for your visit, Ebony!

Tina Turner didn’t just sing about love. She fought for it. She chose it. And her Buddhist faith helped her completely embody it. She showed us that loving yourself out loud is its own kind of revolution. On this Valentine’s Day, let us love just like Tina. Bold. Free. Unapologetic. Share this with someone (or tag someone) who is simply the best just for being themselves✨. #kidlit #valentines #valentinesday #blackjoy #simplythebest