"Lovely and timely. So glad Joshunda is telling our stories." -
Jacqueline Woodson
Eight-year-old Ava Murray wants to know why there's a difference between
the warm, friendly Bronx neighborhood filled with music and art in which
she lives and the Bronx she sees in news stories on TV and on the
Internet. When her mother explains that the power of stories lies in the
hands of those who write them, Ava decides to become a journalist.
I Can Write the World follows Ava as she explores her vibrant South
Bronx neighborhood - buildings whose walls boast gorgeous murals of
historical figures as well as intricate, colorful street art, the dozens
of different languages and dialects coming from the mouths of passersby,
the many types of music coming out of neighbors' windows and passing
cars. In reporting how the music and art and culture of her neighborhood
reflect the diversity of the people of New York City, Ava shows the
world as she sees it, revealing to children the power of their own
voice.