[4] He has also authored and/or illustrated over 30 picture books including, Brothers of the Knight[5] by actress Debbie Allen, WE ARE THE SHIP: The Story of Negro League Baseball,[6] which was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated[7] magazine, and Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans.

[9] Nelson has since created several memorable covers for the magazine including, Eustace Negro,[10] Schomburg Center, Harlem, New York,[11] and A Day at the Beach.

[15] Both his uncle and his high school art teacher taught him important artistic principles and techniques, including how to paint with oils.

[16] In August 1999, Nelson’s paintings depicting Negro league baseball scenes were featured in Sports Illustrated magazine on its opening Leading Off pages.

[21] We Are the Ship was released by Brilliance Audio as an audiobook in 2009, narrated by voice actor Dion Graham.

In 2005, Nelson was contacted by Michael Jackson to create a commissioned painting of the King of Pop’s life story.

[29] The album artwork became a signature work for the recording artist, and the subject of multiple internet memes.

[37] He won the Coretta Scott King Author Award again in 2012 for Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans.

[38] In 2020, Nelson won the Caldecott Medal and Coretta Scott King Award for his illustrations in The Undefeated.