Read Baby Read
Where else, but through reading, can we transport ourselves into the pages and identify with the mysteries, fables, and tales from our favorite books? We read page by page, envisioning ourselves in someone else’s shoes, walking in them, and then becoming the characters. This is where the passion to read begins. When dealing with our kids, who’s minds are growing by the day and who are so impressionable, it is the same for them. Their first introduction to the world, yes, is through the eyes of their parents, but also is in the books we read to them. My girlfriend and I jokingly laughed that our kids might begin to think they’re rubber duckies or start making hee haw noises if we don’t begin to feed them more images of what is and what could be.
From movies and television shows, to politics, and literature, representation matters. It’s the fight of all people from the beginning of time, to be included and represented. To have the world see us as we see ourselves and the influence that that has on society is vast. For example, it’s not a surprise that Black Panther brought in 100s of millions, as black folks from all over the world ran to the theaters to see a black super-hero as the main character, for the first time on the big screen. I similarly can recall to the day, the instance, I saw myself in a book and on a page and how it changed how I saw myself.
When I was a child, my parents drilled reading. They literally had me read everything! The newspaper, the street signs, the ice cream flavors at the parlor, and my older siblings homework. They were giving me encyclopedias to read by the time I was in 2nd grade. My favorite books were mysteries. I would get so involved reading stories and adventures about travelling and mysteries solved, I never really noticed that none of the characters looked like me, until my mom gave me a volume of books by American Girls. These were stories that followed the American Girls, Molly, Samantha, Felicity and Kristen along on their daily adventures. This set of books was a set of 6 and it wasn’t until I got to the last book, that I met Addy Walker , a little black girl from North Carolina.
I found myself looking at her and feeling like the page was looking back at me, as I analyzed her brown skin, curly hair and full lips. I was intrigued to know more about Addy. It was on this day that I first saw myself in a book. I made a connection from the page to myself, that I was just like Addy, a little black girl that was full of personality, inquisitive, fearless, intelligent and loved her family. Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, children's literature scholar and recipient of the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement, says, "Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection we can see our own lives and experiences as part of a larger human experience. Reading, then, becomes a means of self-affirmation, and readers often seek their mirrors in books." While the content of the book was a bit heavy for me at the time as Addy recalls her experiences with racism and slavery, it gave me tools to problem solve, navigate conflict and understand some of the cruelties of our past. It also made me feel I could overcome anything that came my way.
As my personal example shows, besides an obvious development for a love of reading, seeing stories that reflect their realities, our kids can celebrate themselves and their everyday experiences with their families. I have already seen this to be true in reading to my 17 month old, who’s go to book is Please Baby Please, featuring mama, dada and me/baby. To her, it is a story about Kinsley, her mommy and daddy. Luckily for our children, as time has progressed, so has the diversity of books and children’s toys. As the world is becoming more of a melting pot, it is easier for parents to find diverse story lines for their children. So, if for nothing else I want my child to see her beautiful brown self in books so she can love and embrace the curls in her hair, the slant in her eyes and the beautiful brown skin that glows everyday.
Here are some of our favorites:
May these stories allow our kids to see themselves in these characters, build connections to our own and other cultures and dream dreams bigger than themselves.
Love Ya Mean It,