Nadvia Davis, a Minneapolis North High School alumna and Minnesota-based children’s book author, is making her mark in educational literature with stories that blend essential skills and valuable life lessons. Her debut book, “Grant Practices Math with Manners,” draws inspiration from her nephew O’ryan Davis-Grant, weaving together mathematical concepts with social etiquette in a way that resonates with young readers.
Davis recently spoke with rolling out about her journey to becoming an author.
What inspired you to write children’s books that combine academic subjects with character development themes like risks and manners?
My nephew inspired me to write both of my children’s books. I wanted more Black and brown boys to be seen on the covers of children’s literature. Combining academic subjects with themes stemmed from a conversation with a friend about how children can absorb a lot of information at once when they are young, like under the age of 10.
How do you approach making potentially challenging subjects like reading and math engaging for young readers?
I use real-life examples and simplify the subjects. In my first book, “Grant Practices Math with Manners,” one fundamental subtraction problem could be translated into money being auto-deducted/subtracted from your checking account for a bill.
As a Minneapolis-based author, how does the local community influence your storytelling?
The community has embraced my diverse voice and messaging in my storytelling. They have actively supported my passion project and the perspective of a Black female writer in the children’s literature space. As a result, they also share new opportunities and ideas for me to reach different audiences, educators, bookstore owners, etc.
What age group do you primarily write for, and how do you ensure your books resonate with that audience?
I write for children ages 6-9, about first through third grade. I try to create diverse characters and use fun illustrations and rhyme schemes throughout the story. One of the most repeated lines by parents, teachers and students alike from “Grant Practices Math with Manners” is “Manners in mind, always be kind.”
Can you describe your typical writing process from the initial concept to the finished manuscript?
I start by thinking about experiences that I’ve had with family, friends, pets, co-workers, etc. From there, I created an outline in a Word document. Within this outline, I write an overview of my story, create and name the characters, type out the types of illustrations I want and type out the rough language for each page. After that, I send my rough outline to my illustrator. From there, he creates a storyboard with sketches of each character and the pages.
What feedback from young readers has surprised or moved you since publishing these books?
I’m always moved by the questions and comments from the youth after they have heard the stories or read either of the books. There tend to be a lot of questions like, “Why did you make the main character a boy and not a girl?” or “I liked the headwrap of the Mom character.”
How do you balance educational content with entertainment value in your storytelling?
Honestly, I focus on the educational content the most and hope the illustrations help drive the entertainment. When I do read-aloud events at schools or bookstores, asking the students questions or engaging the audience as I read the story makes the storytelling more entertaining.
What advice would you give aspiring children’s book authors who want to write about academic subjects?
I would encourage them to look into self-publishing platforms like Ingram Spark and read or listen to current children’s audiobooks on the market. Good readers make good writers.
