Tayari's Blog: Some Thoughts on Children's Books
Posted by TayariJones on August 23, 2006 06:51 AM
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Bookshelf
I went recently to buy some books for my five-year-old niece, Zaria. (She is the smartest thing you ever saw!) Anyway, I went to my local progressive independent bookstore to look in the children's section. There were many books by authors of diverse backgrounds. This is all very good. I think that people of color are always looking for ways to reinforce our kids sense of self. (Remember the video, "A Girl Like Me," that we watched a few weeks back? What a wake-up call.)
Anyway, I looked at at least ten books and I didn't like any of them. It seems to me that many of the progressive authors are so focused on being progressive that they forget about plot. Or maybe the books are really being pitched to the parents who may better appreciate straight forward ideological statements. As I was thumbing through the books, my inner child was so bored that she almost slipped into a coma.
I was also really torn about the books designed to make African-American girls embrace their nappy hair. I am all about loving the nap. (You should see me now, I've just stumbled out of bed, so my personal nappiness is in full glorious effect.)
However, I don't know if I can really endorse a book that is *about* hair. I mean, hair is not a story! Kids don't learn to be ashamed of their hair, their skin color, their lips, etc. because they read about book called "Nappy Hair and Dark Skin is Bad!" or "You Should Be Blond!" Instead they have been exposed to media in which people who are white get to be princesses, get to save the day, get to ride in a rocket ship or what have you. Let's see a little kid with an afro hitch a ride on a star and solve an intergalactic crisis! Now *that's* a story.
Also, I am a little bit uncomfortable with the books aimed at black girls in particular. There seems to be way to much emphasis on beauty. Somewhere down the line, post The Bluest Eye, we seem to have gotten the idea that what black girls really need is to be told they are cute. While I understand the well-intentioned impulse behind this, I think it is a bit short-sighted. I mean, would it be progress to end up with a race of black Paris Hiltons-- vain and obsessed with thier own images?
(Since I brought up The Bluest Eye, I will go off an a little tangent. It is always interesting to me when I use this book in my classes, that the students conclude that Pecola's live was ruined because she wanted a lighter complexion and blue eyes, that the idea that no one found her beautiful ultimately ruined her. My reading of that book is that Pecola was devastated because her parents were incredible abusive. Her father was a rapist! Even if she had blue eyes, she would have suffered terribly.)
But this wanders from my subject of children's books. I am looking for kids books with progressive ideas, but also some page-turning plot. I want soul-affirming illustrations, but also something exciting happening. So far, I have bought only my own childhood favorite: the West African folktale, Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People Ears. Now *that* is a good book. The best part is when all the animals get pissed off and cry, "Punish The Mosquito!" I loved the drama of it all when I was six and I get all shivery thirty years later!
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There are 3 comments on "Some Thoughts on Children's Books". If you'd like to leave a comment, click here to jump down to the comments entry form.
Comment #1, by Dakota Knight ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.tayarijones.com/blog/nav-commenters.gif)
Tayari,
I think that publishers are slowly coming around. This is most evident in the middle school age and YA Books. Little Divas, by Philana Marie Boles has just been nominated for an award. Dafina is launching several series featuring African American characters. I've heard that Pocket books and Hyperion Books for Children are also developing series. Hopefully, this will filter down even further to children's books.
August 23, 2006 11:41 AM
Comment #2, by edi
Speaking of Toni Morrison...did you see the children's book that she and her son, Slade, created? _Who's got game? The ant or the grasshopper?_
August 25, 2006 08:28 PM
Comment #3, by d.allen
As a book buyer for a local, progressive, independent bookstore, I want to emphasize our mission to only sell kids books that meet the criteria established by The Early Childhood Equity Initiative and The Council on Interracial Children's Books for Children. The images presented to kids at an early age make a lasting impression, making it extremely important to review the images that we present. Here is a quote from the ECEI section of the Teaching For Change website:
"Both in school and out children are exposed to racist and sexist attitudes. These attitudes - expressed over and over in books and other media - gradually distort their perceptions until stereotypes and myths about minorities and women are accepted as reality."
Regarding "Nappy" - The book was self published by a local author - adapted from a story she wrote for her own daughter. She uses hair as a launching point to introduce Sojourner Truth, Zora, Sonia Sanchez, Angela Davis and others. This author (Charisse Carney-Nunes) will be publishing a kids version of the Covenant with Black America in the near future. And despite that fact that her book is "self-published" it is much better than 95% of the stuff published by the so-called major publishing houses. I walked the aisles of the Childrens Pavillion at the past year's Book Expo and found less than five items that we would carry in our store. The publishing world is filled with Children's books that are published only because of their tie-in potential (movies, stuffed animals, video games, etc.)
It has been our experience that although our kids books may not be as splashy as the new Spongebob product line or as glamorous (so-called) as the cinderella/barbie books out there, kids react really well to the poetry of Tony Medina, stories about gender confusion/feelings, the evils of war, or the joys of BeBimBop. I think (a key phrase) that it is our job as adults to stimulate the minds of our young with images and lessons and stories.
November 4, 2006 01:23 PM