Author, illustrator Don Tate returns to Des Moines to inspire young readers
5/6/2026
Dr. Anita Fleming-Rife speaks with Des Moines schools Superintendent Matt Smith.
Iowa native Don Tate jokes that people often ask if he was born with a pencil in hand.
It would explain a lot.
Tate, who was raised in Des Moines, has 90 published books to his name as both a writer and illustrator, with a four-decade career in book publishing and newspapers, including stints as a graphic journalist with The Des Moines Register and the Austin American-Statesman.
“I can’t remember a day in my life when I wasn’t drawing pictures,” Tate said.
Now living in Austin, Texas, where he earned the 2021 Texas Writer Award at the Texas Book Festival, Tate returned to his roots and keynoted the Black Child Development Institute-organized Read to Succeed Luncheon in April, honoring King Elementary School students in Des Moines involved in a yearlong program aimed at boosting a love of reading.
Tate, an alumnus of the Des Moines Public Schools and Des Moines Area Community College, told several dozen elementary school students and their families, as well as other supporters of reading and the school system, that he had early inspiration as an artist.
“I wanted to be just like Jim Henson because I liked making puppets, too,” Tate said, referencing the late creator of “The Muppets.”
Tate told the students that “everybody is born with their own special talents.”
Thirteen-year-old Saily Bah of Urbandale displays her published book “Rise Above” during the Read To Succeed luncheon in Des Moines at the Boys and Girls Club near the Drake University campus. Pictured with Saily are her mom Rohey Sallah (seated) and Elsie Jackson, the reading chair for Black Child Development Institute-Iowa.
He also encouraged them to read.
“When you read, you learn about other people who don’t look like you,” Tate said.
BCDI-Iowa has been working at King Elementary to help improve literacy rates, along with providing children with free books and distributing winter hats, socks and gloves to every student (and coats, as needed), according to a news release from the organization.
According to BCDI, 48% of Des Moines Public Schools students are not reading at grade level, with many coming from homes where English is not the primary language.
“The African proverb ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ means an entire community must participate in a child’s growth and development,” Dr. Anita Fleming-Rife, president of BCDI-Iowa, said. “That’s what we have with us today. We have a village. We have come out to show love and support to the children in our community, the children in our village.”
The event was hosted by Black Child Development Institute-Iowa and Reach Out and Read-Midwest, serving Iowa and Nebraska.
One of the leaders in attendance was Des Moines Schools Superintendent Matt Smith. Smith said having an accomplished and nationally recognized alumnus of the Des Moines schools in Tate inspired him, as did the full celebration.
“I think it represents the heart of Des Moines and the community of Des Moines and the importance of an entire village gathered around our kids to impress upon them the significance of reading and how foundational it is to who they are as people,” Smith said in an interview.
Talented young people showcased published works during the luncheon.
Saily Bah, 13, of Urbandale, talked with well-wishers and readers about her published book, “Rise Above: How to Turn a Negative Situation Into a Positive One.” She also illustrated the book.
She wrote it at age 11.
“I experienced an act of racism at school, and I felt horrible,” Saily said. “I know many people go through this. So I just had to create something that people can benefit from so they can learn how to cope with negative situations.”
The book is available in a number of places, including her Facebook page. It is also on Amazon.♦
Douglas Burns of Carroll is fourth-generation journalist and founder of Mercury Boost, a marketing and public relations company.
