Atlanta, GA -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/03/2014 -- With over 2.3 million individuals incarcerated in the United States, more than 2.7 million children in the country have a parent in the prison population. Children of the incarcerated often do not speak of their parents' imprisonment, and may even be unaware of their parent's location. It's during these crucial years that literacy is so important for both child and parent. A new initiative, Project Iron Kids, recognizes the unique needs children of the incarcerated and formerly-incarcerated have in literacy and education. Project Iron Kids works to provide resources for iron kids and their caretakers, so they may openly discuss feelings and issues that result from the parents' absence. According to a University of California study, these issues can include anxiety disorders, depression, shame, guilt, and poor performance in school. Project Iron Kids' founder Dr. Bahiyyah M. Muhammad has signed an exclusive 5-book publishing agreement with Goldest Karat Publishing, LLC.

With both parties realizing this much-needed niche, the agreement covers books for children of the incarcerated, with the first entitled The Prison Alphabet: An Educational Coloring Book for Children of Incarcerated Parents (ISBN: 978-1939509093). The coloring book is co-authored by Dr. Bahiyyah M. Muhammad and Muntaquim Muhammad. The Prison Alphabet uses the alphabet to help children understand the experiences of their parents or family members who are behind bars; the title is scheduled for publication in February and may be pre-ordered at ProjectIronKids.com.

Founded in late 2013, Project Iron Kids was created by Dr. Bahiyyah M. Muhammad, who has a M.S. in Criminal Justice from John Jay College, and her Ph.D. research at Rutgers University's School of Criminal Justice focused on families affected by mass incarceration. She has spent the last decade of her criminal justice career conducting qualitative work on children of the incarcerated. She has dubbed these children "Iron Kids," because of their strength and resilience. Currently Dr. Muhammad is an Assistant Professor of Criminology at Howard University in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. For more information, please visit ProjectIronKids.com.

About the Publisher: Goldest Karat Publishing, LLC is a black female-owned publisher of educational non-fiction titles, coloring books, and entertaining children's books that fill a critical niche in the African-American literary market. Publications include:

Big Hair, Don't Care (ISBN: 978-1939509024): A beautifully illustrated picture book designed to boost self-esteem and build confidence in little girls with natural hair.

The Colorful Adventures of Zoe & Star (ISBN: 978-1939509000) and The Colorful Adventures of Cody & Jay (ISBN: 978-1939509062): Two black coloring and activity books that inspire creativity, promote self-confidence, and celebrate diversity.

Supermommy (ISBN: 978-1939509086): A story book celebrating a single black mother's seemingly supernatural ability to care for her children.

Color My Fro (ISBN: 978-1939509079): A coloring book celebrating the beauty of black women with natural hair.

To learn more about Goldest Karat Publishing, visit the website at goldestkarat.com.

For further information, please contact: Crystal Swain-Bates, Publisher, 404-465-4120, crystal@goldestkarat.com.

FROM: Goldest Karat Publishing, LLC, PO Box 724621, Atlanta, GA 31139, USA (www.goldestkarat.com)

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Atlanta, GA -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/28/2014 -- Goldest Karat Publishing, LLC, a black-owned boutique publisher of educational non-fiction titles, coloring books, and entertaining children's books that fill a critical niche in the African-American literary market, today announced the release and availability of a new, but unique set of children's books aimed at African-Americans and people of African descent.

The titles of the books are Big Hair, Don't Care, The Colorful Adventures of Zoe & Star, The Colorful Adventures of Cody & Jay, Color My Fro, and Supermommy. All are now available at both http://www.goldestkarat.com and Amazon.

Aimed at an audience made up of African-American parents and educators, the books are ideal gifts for Black History month, a time of heightened cultural awareness for African-Americans, according to Crystal Swain-Bates, author and owner of Goldest Karat Publishing, LLC.

"During Black History Month, we have always found that African-American readers are more apt to search out new and interesting black books for their children," says Swain-Bates, who adds the books were published between August 2013 and January 2014.

Offering an overview of each new book, Swain-Bates, presents the following:

Big Hair, Don't Care: Designed to boost self-esteem and build confidence in kids of all races, this beautifully illustrated picture book featuring a little black girl who loves her big hair is aimed at boys and girls who may need a reminder that it's ok to be different.

The Colorful Adventures of Zoe & Star: This book follows the afro-sporting Zoe & the braid-wearing Star as they imagine themselves as scientists, veterinarians, fairies, princesses, and more! Follow them throughout over 45 fun-filled coloring and activity pages that inspire creativity, promote self-confidence, and celebrate diversity.

The Colorful Adventures of Cody & Jay: This book follows Cody & Jay as they imagine themselves as scientists, race car drivers, superheroes, artists, and more! Follow them throughout over 40 fun-filled coloring and activity pages that inspire creativity, promote self-confidence, and celebrate diversity.

Color My Fro: In celebration of the beauty of black women with natural hair, 31 big-haired fairies, mermaids, warriors, models, cheerleaders, and fierce divas grace the pages of this coloring book. Fun for any occasion, "Color My Fro" is perfect for natural hair lovers of any age.

Supermommy: Perfect for children in single-parent homes, this picture book celebrates a single mother's seemingly supernatural ability to care for her children, at least in her daughter Miadora's eyes as she attempts to showcase her Supermommy at her school's show and tell.

According to Swain-Bates, who is the author of the above books, there is a major lack of diversity in traditional publishing. As a result, she says, "there are not enough books on the market that showcase positive images of little black girls and boys, essentially making them invisible in children's literature."

Arguing that kids begin to develop their sense of self-esteem at a very young age, Swain-Bates believes that rarely seeing characters that look like them in books can be detrimental to their confidence and growth.

"Imagine never being able to see images of characters that look like you when you open a book?" questions Swain-Bates, who believes that is the "lived experience" of millions of black children all over the world.

According to a 2012 Cooperative Children's Book Center study, only 3.3 percent of the over 3,500 children's books examined were about Africans or African-Americans.

Growing tired of the lack of diversity in children's picture and activity books, according to Swain-Bates, was the deciding factor in her doing something about it.

About Crystal Swain-Bates
A native of Atlanta, GA, Crystal Swain-Bates is an author and the owner of Goldest Karat Publishing, LLC. Crystal holds a Master's degree in International Affairs from Florida State University and is an avid world traveler. For more about Goldest Karat Publishing, visit the website at goldestkarat.com, follow the company on Instagram @goldestkarat, or like Crystal's Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/cswainbates.

For further information, please contact: Crystal Swain-Bates, Publisher, 404.465.4120, crystal@goldestkarat.com.

FROM: Goldest Karat Publishing, LLC, PO Box 724621, Atlanta, GA 31139, USA (www.goldestkarat.com)

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm