When my daughter was born, I experienced my greatest blessing. I received another gift as I started reading to her. Through her eyes, I got a chance to relive the wonder of discovering toes, the many hues of skin, the magic of music. As we listened to the cadence of words and soaked in the sweetness of pictures created for the very young, I watched her glow. I was entranced too.
A friend reminded me that sometimes board books get forgotten on reading lists (Thanks, Johnny :). So here are some of my sweet girl’s favorite baby-to-preschool books. Please share your favorites by black authors and/or illustrators too:
Whose Toes Are Those? by Jabari Asim and illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Whose Knees Are These? by Jabari Asim and illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Bright Eyes, Brown Skin by Cheryl Willis Hudson and Bernette Ford and illustrated by George Ford
Jamal’s Busy Day by Wade Hudson and illustrated by George Ford
Joshua by the Sea by Angela Johnson and illustrated by Rhonda Mitchell
Rain Feet by Angela Johnson and illustrated by Rhonda Mitchell
Jazz Baby by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Laura Freeman
So Much by Trish Cooke and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
My Aunt Came Back by Pat Cummings
Baby Says by John Steptoe
The Story of Martin Luther King, Jr., by Johnny Ray Moore and illustrated by Amy Wummer
You just sent me scrambling to my son’s room to find his old board books. He has many of the Ken Wilson-Max books. I think his favorites were the Jump At The Sun, Motown Baby Love Board Books, which use popular Motown lyrics — Baby Love, The Way You Do the Things You Do, I’ll Be There. They use photographs by author/photographer Charles R. Smith (http://www.charlesrsmithjr.com/) The photos are racially diverse, ranging from Asian, Black, mixed race, everything. My son loved these.
Also, there’s an excellent article in the 2007 Children’s Writers and Illustrators Market. It’s called Creating Books for the Youngest Readers — an article about creating board books. It features Jabari Asim, as well as others.
Jabari is a father of 5, and writes books that his children would enjoy. Another of his board books, Whose Knees are These?
This is a cute topic and I love the titles of some of the books. Great blog, Kelly!
Hey Don and Carla,
Thanks for the comments.
Don, I hadn’t heard of those Motown Baby Love books. But they sound great. Thanks for the recommendations.