African-American Voices in Children’s Literature
January 17, 2008 by Kelly Phillips Erb
Filed under Parenting
Throughout the week, I’ve mentioned that a driving force behind Troy CLE’s The Marvelous Effect was inspiring young black children to read.
I thought it only appropriate, then, to devote a post to other classic children’s books either written by African-American authors or targeted to African-American children. Here are just a few:
Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman.
Aunt Flossie’s Hats (and Crab Cakes Later) by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard.
Blue Eyes Better by Ruth Wallace-Brodeur.
I Can Do It, Too by Karen Baicker.
Just Like Martin by Ossie Davis.
Mama, I Want to Sing by Vy Higginsen.
Nappy Hair by Carolivia Herron
The Marvelous Effect by Troy CLE.
The Magic Moonberry Jump Ropes by Dakari Hru.
When I Am Old With You by Angela Johnson.
Other favorites?
I think it’s worth mentioning that this list isn’t meant to be divisive – it’s meant to be uplifting. African-American children’s books are no more “exclusively” for black children than books authored by white authors are solely for white children.
Interestingly, children don’t pick up on differences – or talk about them the same way – as we do. Adults carry baggage. Kids do not. I realized this in the doctor’s office when I asked my daughter to give my check to the receptionist. Katie, who was four, turned to me and said loudly, “You mean the brown lady?” I was horrified – her best friend at the time, Chelsea, was black, and couldn’t imagine why Katie would make race an issue. She wasn’t. I was. She was making a true statement, an observation, completely untainted by stereotypes or judgments. In the same way, she refers to herself as “peach” – not white.
That’s why I think it’s important for children of all races, ethnicities and backgrounds to read as many books about as many types of people as they can. Books are reflections, musings and observations. They are not statements or judgments. We need more of that in the world. What do you think?
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I think this is a good example of what I have tried to tell people. There is nothing wrong with race, per se. We shouldn’t be chastised for noticing our differences. The fault comes when we make judgments about character based on those differences.
Kelly, I don’t fully agree with:
“African-American children’s books are no more “exclusively” for black children than books authored by white authors are solely for white children.
Black children in our society are at a disadvantage when it comes to mirroring themselves from what they see and read in books. When I was a child, the Dick and Jane book series were very popular (never mind how old I am!). But, when I read these books, I did not see one single person that:
1. looked like me
2. lived like I lived
3. had hair like mine
4. whose mom looked like mine
5. dressed like I dressed
6. etc., etc., etc.
Need I go on? I’m simply saying that it’s important for African-American children to be able to “identify” with something that they can relate to. In books, it is iso important because that’s where their foundation (reading) begins and where their generalizations begin. Now while I do not in any way advocate separation of any kind, I believe it’s important to explain to a child that, yes, you are different, but it’s also ok. They need to understand that because of their differences, the world will treat them differently and then we teach them how to deal with those attitudes. Don’t mimick them, but embrace them as a catalyst to help them become better.
My daughter wanted to know why she just couldn’t get in the pool all willy-nilly like her friends do and get her hair all wet and just ‘go’. I had to explain to her the texture and reactions of HER hair and the consequences of just ‘getting in’ the pool just like that. We have to plan to make a pool trip and because of this, it just takes us a little longer.
Ignoring differences doesn’t cause them to not exist. It just makes things worse.
I agree that you shouldn’t ignore differences… But to advocate that any book is for one group of children – be it children of a certain ethnicity, class or gender – means that other children don’t get the benefit of learning, too.
My daughter owns “I can do it, too” which features a black child as the main character. Katie knows that the child is black – but she looks at it much the same way as other characters having different colors of hair. While I realize that black children may read the book and embrace it differently because it reflects them, I love that Katie just likes the book.
It’s kind of where I was going with my Disney post on yesterday. The best thing that could happen is to have such a mix of books that race in books becomes unremarkable.