Milestones

Brown Gold: Milestones of African American Children’s Picture Books, 1845-2002, by Michelle H. Martin is a compelling history and analysis of African-American children’s picture books from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. The book above was published by McLoughlin Brothers, 1875.

Read a sample of Brown Gold by clicking here. I could write an entire blog post about this image, but do I need to say more?

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Brown Listmania!

For those who don’t know, Listmania Lists are created by Amazon users. They contain everything from books to music, videos to whatever else is available on Amazon. While on a narcissistic search of my own name, I discovered several lists that feature picture books with characters that look like my family.

If you’re the parent of a black child — or any child of color — it’s so important that you expose him or her to books that reflect their image. Don’t misunderstand, there’s nothing wrong with books that feature white characters — anthropomorphic pigs, cars, warthogs or worms either. But a child of color needs to see positive images of themselves represented in the literature they read, too. We live in a world of many colors, cultures, religions, lifestyles. Books introduce children to the diverse world around them.

Here area a few Listmania Lists featuring picture books that celebrate diversity:

–Books for Young Children in Black & Multiracial Families

–Caring, Confident, Colorful Kids

–Chocolate Garden of Lil’ Angels

–African-American Children Books

–Black Children’s Hair Books

–Best Children’s Books Celebrating Diversity and Individuality

–My Favorite Books for African American Children

–Adopting a Child from Haiti Kids’ List

–Books About and for Children of Black and African Heritage

Note: This post by no means is an endorsement of Amazon over any other online stores or sources. If you know of any other lists that highlight diversity, or lists specifically that feature books by African American authors or artist, let us know.

— Don