New children’s book, ‘Gabe & His Green Thumb,’a book for young Black boys

BlackNews.com — David Miller knows only eighteen percent of Black fourth graders read proficiently. Likewise, he’s aware that it’s increasingly difficult to find quality children’s books by authors of color.

Miller is counting on his newest work, “Gabe & His Green Thumb,” to be the first of many children’s books to buck those trends.

A husband, father of three, writer and social entrepreneur, Miller has published a fresh, new children’s book about Gabe Gresham, a typical kid who loves reading comic books and playing with his friends after school.

One day Gabe’s life is changed forever while he’s working in his family’s garden.

Written for second graders and up, “Gabe & His Green Thumb” is about a boy who discovers the power of growing food. The book, complete with bright, bold illustrations, takes kids on Gabe’s journey as he transforms from a shy kid to an overnight celebrity because of his ability to raise championship-sized vegetables.

Kids of all ages will be amazed by Gabe’s “magical” thumb, his superpowers and the way he remains humble while handling his newfound success.

According to the U.S. Department of Education’s 2015 national reading assessment, only eighteen percent of Black fourth graders read proficiently, staggering statistics that Miller says underscore the need for getting Black students excited about reading early and often.

“We simply must find ways to entice our children to read because we’re losing a generation of kids to the streets and the violence it spawns,” Miller said. “While I’m certainly not proffering that reading books is a panacea to all of our problems, I am suggesting that improving the outcomes for children of color can begin with something as simple as finding ways to engage them in the power of reading books that interest them.” Miller previously authored two children’s books Miller has authored two children’s books, “Khalil’s Way” and “The Green Family Farm.” His works have been featured on CNN, PBS and NPR and in the BBC Magazine, The Baltimore Sun, The Huffington Post and in a variety of other publications.

Miller is a Baltimore native who has a B.A. in political science from the University of Baltimore and a master of science in education from Goucher College. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Social Work at Morgan State University in Baltimore.

A former teacher in Baltimore City Public Schools, Miller is widely known for designing “Dare to Be King: What if the Prince Lives?” The survival workbook for African-American males features a fifty-two week curriculum designed to teach adolescent males how to survive and thrive in toxic environments.

This article originally published in the July 15, 2019 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.