Good Night MyBrownBaby: “Peeny Butter Fudge” (VIDEO)

My girl Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts, the brilliant columnist behind the MyBrownBaby Faith & Motherhood Series, held it down for “Good Night, MyBrownBaby,” doing an incredible night-night reading of “Peeny Butter Fudge,” the children’s picture book by Toni Morrison and her son, Slade Morrison. I mean it was already dope that Tracey guest read on our special night. But the icing on the cake? She brought her adorable daughter Kay along for the ride! She’s so doggone yummy: a walking, talking, giggling Peeny Butter Fudge!

If you missed the reading, or you just want to watch it with your babies again, the video is up top—just push play. Every reading we do from here on our will live here on MyBrownBaby and on the MyBrownBaby YouTube page, so you’ll have instant access to these incredible bedtime stories for your babies.

Good Night MyBrownBaby is a part of the MyBrownBaby mission to help introduce parents to great books for kids, featuring kids that look like ours. I figure if we help our beautiful babies fall in love with good literature early, they’ll love it forever. And if we support Black authors who celebrate our babies’ humanity in literature, we’ll be creating a want and need for more books just like them—a want and need publishing companies like mine will respond to.

As Tracey mentioned in the Good Night MyBrownBaby “Peeny Butter Fudge” reading: those who shared the video on FB qualified for a giveaway of two of the upcoming books on my new children’s book imprint, Denene Millner Books. Congratulations to:

• Sheena Wiley, who wins a copy of my upcoming parenting book,”MyBrownBaby: the Joys and Challenges of Raising African American Children.”
• Emily Rea Glenham, who wins a copy of my upcoming children’s picture book, “Early Sunday Morning.”

Congrats, ladies!

If you and your babies loved “Peeny Butter Fudge,” cop a copy here, or pick it up at your local library.

And don’t forget to check in for our next Good Night MyBrownBaby Facebook Live reading, featuring me, Denene Millner, reading one of my favorite books EVER, “Tar Beach,” by Faith Ringgold. I’ll be reading live from the MyBrownBaby Facebook Fans page on Tuesday, January 10, at 7:30 p.m. sharp!

RSVP with your email addy or phone number to goodnightstories@mybrownbaby.com, and I’ll send out an invitation/be there reminder so you can get your babies together and ready for the reading—which will be really helpful so that I’m not sitting there reading to a wall. That would not be cute.

See you at the next Good Night MyBrownBaby!

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“Peeny Butter Fudge”
by Toni Morrison and Slade Morrison, Joe Cepeda (Illustrator); Simon & Schuster/ Paula Wiseman Books

There is no one like Nana in the whole wide world. She is the best. Nana knows how to take an ordinary afternoon and make it extra special! Nap time, story time, and playtime are transformed by fairies, dragons, dancing, and pretending — and then mixing and fixing yummy, yummy fudge just like Nana and Mommy did not so many years ago….

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison and her son Slade tell a story of what really goes on when Nana is left in charge!

To enhance your child’s reading experience:

• Make the Peeny Butter Fudge recipe!
• Have your baby call her grandmother (or grandfather) and chat with her about favorite hobbies. If her grandparents are no longer with her, show your child pictures and share some special memories of your own.
• Have him draw a picture of your family and write a sweet note to grandma, then address the letter and send it in the mail. Grandparents LOVE handwritten letters!