
At Tundra Books, we want you to get to know and love our creators as much as you know and love their books. Our creator spotlight series will introduce you to the people behind some of your favorite titles . . . this week, say hello to Shauntay Grant!
About the Author:
SHAUNTAY GRANT is an award-winning author, poet, playwright, interdisciplinary artist, and associate professor of creative writing at Dalhousie University. She is the author of a number of picture books, including My Fade is Fresh, which garnered multiple starred reviews, Sandy Toes: A Summer Adventure, Snowy Mittens: A Winter Adventure and When I Wrap My Hair. A former poet laureate for the City of Halifax, her picture book Africville won the 2019 Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and was a finalist for the 2018 Governor General’s Literary Awards, the 2019 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards, and the 2019 Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Masterworks Arts Award.
Q&A with Shauntay Grant:
Bright Lights and Summer Nights takes readers on a luminous bedtime journey through a summery dreamworld. Can you share what inspired you to write this enchanting bedtime story and the themes you wanted to explore?
This story was inspired by the warmth, magic, and music of summer. Lullabies and laughter. Carnivals and moonlight. And the wonder of dreams.
Poetry often relies on musicality and rhythm. How do you ensure that your picture book’s text has a soothing, rhythmic quality that makes it perfect for bedtime reading?
I recite the poem out loud – to myself, to my children. It’s important to me that the words resonate both on and off the page.
Your previous works often reflect cultural and personal influences. How do your own experiences and background inform the stories you choose to tell, particularly in this new book?
Strangely, I wasn’t thinking about specific childhood or other influences. Though when I read the story, I do see that some of my favorite things ended up in the book – moonlight, starlight, carousels . . .
Do you have a favorite poetic form or style that you enjoy writing in, particularly for children’s literature? How do you decide which form best fits the story you want to tell?
It really depends on how the story or poem emerges at first. Usually a line or sequence of lines will come to mind. I’ll study the rhythm of those lines and if a form emerges, I may play around with that. With this book, the phrase “bright lights and summer nights” came to me as a possible book title. After a while I thought: What if the title became the first line? What if the second line began with the last word of the first line? And so on. The poem just seemed to grow from there.
What message or feeling do you hope parents and children will take away from reading your book together at bedtime? How do you hope it will impact their nightly routine and dreams?
The text is quite sparse leaving lots of room to imagine. Zach’s illustrations are warm and inviting. So I hope the book inspires warm thoughts at bedtime, and more magical dreams.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers, especially those interested in writing poetry and picture books for children? What are some key elements they should focus on to create engaging and memorable stories?
Poetry uses tools that speak to children like rhythm, rhyme, assonance and alliteration. Playing around with these and exploring the musicality of language can help strengthen your skills as far as poetry and writing for kids.
Books by Shauntay Grant:

Bright Lights and Summer Nights
Written by Shauntay Grant
Illustrated by Zach Manbeck
40 Pages | Ages 2-5 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774883662 | Tundra Books
Fireflies and mystic moon
Mystic moon and brilliant night
filled with friends and firelight
On a hot summer night, Mother Moon soothes a little star baby who won’t go to sleep. With her magic, she spins a warm, lyrical tale of friendship and fun: a dreamy summer evening set beneath a blanket of twinkling stars as children and forest friends with balloons enjoy a country fair with a carousel and caramel apples before taking a fantastical trolley ride to a marvelous, light-filled destination. A captivating book, sure to be picked up night after night, that will send all little star babies off to dreamland.
My Fade Is Fresh
Written by Shauntay Grant
Illustrated by Kitt Thomas
32 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780593387085 | Penguin Workshop
When a little girl walks into her local barbershop, she knows she wants the flyest, freshest fade on the block! But there are so many beautiful hairstyles to choose from, and the clients and her mother suggest them all: parts, perms, frizzy fros, dye jobs, locs, and even cornrows! But this little girl stays true to herself and makes sure she leaves the shop feeling on top with the look she picks! Author Shauntay Grant’s sweet, rhyming story encourages young girls to be self-confident and celebrates the many shapes and forms Black hair can take. Through their stunning illustrations, Kitt Thomas is able to bring life and movement to the versatile styles featured in this book.