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Charnaie Gordon

Home Featured Authors & Panelists Featured Participant Lineup 2026 Charnaie Gordon

Charnaie Gordon is a diversity and inclusion advocate, author, teacher, and digital creator. She is the author of several picture books and an educational flash card series called Young Historians Club. Her blog, Here Wee Read, is where she expresses her creativity and passion for reading, diverse literature, and literacy. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and two children.

 

Schedule

9:45 am to 10:15 am
Iberville Building, Le Francois Room A
Louisiana Readers’ Choice Award Ceremony
One Chicken Nugget by Tadgh Bentley
Heroic Heart: An Illustrated Biography of Joe Delaney by Frank Murphy, Charnaie Gordon, and Anastasia Magloire Williams

10:30 am to 11:30 am
Iberville Building, Le Francois Room B
Little Books, Big Lives: Picture Book Biographies
Artie Bennett, The Tenth Man: A Miracle of Jewish Faith and Friendship in New Orleans
Carlotta Walls LaNier and Lisa Frazier Page, Carlotta's Special Dress: How a Walk to School Changed Civil Rights History
Frank Murphy, Charnaie Gordon, and  Anastasia Magloire Williams, Heroic Heart: An Illustrated Biography of Joe Delaney
Jason Peterson, Blues with a Butter Knife: The Unstoppable Music of CeDell Davis
with moderator Lauren Landry

11:45 am to 12:30 pm
Cavalier House Books Tent
Book Signing

Heroic Heart: An Illustrated Biography of Joe Delaney

JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD GOLD STANDARD SELECTION 2023

A moving illustrated biography of the late Joe Delaney, an NFL star in the making who valued helping others above all else

On the football field, Joe Delaney possessed all the qualities of a great running back. He was fast with keen instincts, a burst of red and gold as he sprinted toward the end zone for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Off the field, he embodied the qualities of a great person: generous, hard-working, humble, and honest. Helping people was simply second nature to Joe.

In 1983, on a summer's day in Louisiana, Joe Delaney gave his life trying to save three children from drowning in a pond. While others stood by, Joe didn't hesitate before rushing into the water, though he was not a strong swimmer himself. Now, football fans of all teams honor his legacy as an extraordinarily brave young man who cared fiercely for his community. 

Written with the support of the Delaney family, Heroic Heart is a lushly illustrated, lyrical story of selflessness and courage. Adults and children alike will learn about the remarkable life of this compassionate NFL star.