At the store, Shakur is ready to walk around instead of riding in the cart. He explores aisles filled with colorful choices. Dad reminds him that he can only pick one treat. Will it be strawberries or cookies? When it is time to check out, Shakur is a good helper and places the groceries on the belt. His trip to the store captures the excitement and pride of growing up.

About the Shakur Series:
The Shakur Series features Black deaf characters who use American Sign Language, offering a unique and inclusive reading experience for children. The vibrant illustrations showcase a signing family and will captivate young minds, while the engaging text reinforces learning. These charming board books contain positive messages and practical lessons, support early childhood development, and encourage children to explore the world with Shakur. This series honors and celebrates Black deaf experiences through everyday adventures that will resonate with young children and their families.

Published in partnership with The Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center.

Debbie Golos is an associate professor of Deaf Education and lead of the Deaf Education teacher preparation program in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Minnesota. Her research and development projects focus on mitigating language deprivation in early childhood by fostering language, literacy, and identity development for Deaf children through American Sign Language and through the creation and evaluation of educational media and children’s literature.

Marlon Kuntze is a retired professor from Gallaudet University. He is currently at the California School for the Deaf in Fremont, CA as an on-site researcher on student outcomes and is also working with different schools to build a database to help better understand how Deaf students are performing academically.

Kimberly Wolbers is a professor and coordinator of the Deaf Education program at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Through various grant projects, she has engaged with and provided professional development to teachers of Deaf students throughout the US, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Morocco, and South Africa.

Chris Kurz is a professor in the Master of Science in Secondary Education (MSSE) program and director of the Mathematics and Science Language and Learning Lab at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology. His research interests include signed and written content language and literacy in mathematics and science, Deaf experience with math and science learning, and international Deaf literacy and sign language documentation.