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Discovering Ethnicity through Children's Books
There are so many ways in which we learn about life and the self. Each day opens paths to this exploration. For many of us, books play a major role in that adventure.
I grew up in a large family during the Great Depression. The family funds for books were limited, but there were always stacks of books in the home. My brothers, sisters and I saw to that. We borrowed books from the Public Library. We made book cases out of discarded orange crates and placed the books on these shelves so that we could share them and keep track of them. It made us feel that we had our own home library, a wonderful feeling.
I read folk tales and fairy tales of many countries, novels, biographies and poetry. At that time I knew very little about books by or about Black people. The books that existed were not assigned in my school classes. Since books meant so much to me, this was unfortunate. I entered the world of books I read, but missed the opportunity of identifying with Black people in the stories.
My sense of self and knowledge of Black contributions came from the home and the Black community in New York City where I was raised. This support is basic, of course, but with the complement of books, one's identity is strengthened and assured.
Today the book world recognizes the need for books that represent the people from all over the world who make up our United States. There is now a growing list of books telling these stories, written and illustrated by the people of these various cultures. Their stories are also told by others who have loved and studied the life and history of cultures other than their own. They offer sensitive works of these cultures as well.
A librarian once told me of a Black youngster visiting in her library. He was looking at a painting of the Nativity in my Christmas book of Black American Spirituals, What a Morning. Suddenly he exclaimed, "That the Baby Jesus? Looks just like me! Huh, I could be the Baby Jesus!"
This is an exciting experience for the reader. Children can now see their images in illustrated books and in stories of their people. They make a direct connection to these pictures and stories.
It is important to affirm our ancestry, to learn about our people while learning about others. When we are centered in the gifts our people have offered, we become rooted in who we are and can stand up to any challenge. This gives the balance we need for our daily pursuit of knowledge.
When I meet with audiences, I often begin my program with the poem by Langston Hughes My People. In this poem Langston Hughes sings of the beauty of his people's faces, their eyes, their souls. The poem celebrates the gifts of each person who recites it. When the audience recites this poem with me, I know we have come together.
I now have my own home library. My collection includeworld. I have a growing collection of books on Black life. Most are by Black authors and illustrators, some by artists of other backgrounds. The illustrated book is my special love. The variety of approaches chosen by the artist keeps me in touch with all that has happened and is happening in the world of art.
My book shelves are no longer the orange crates I put together as a child. I keep building or buying bookshelves to hold the collection. I am proud of my own home library.
I ask the children at my school programs, "How many of you use the Public Library?" All hands go up. I ask, "How many of you use the School Library?" All hands go up. I then ask, "How many of you are building your own home library?" Fewer hands go up.
I then ask that they promise to keep a jar on hand into which goes the extra coins—for books. When enough coins are saved a book is added to their own home library. I suggest that sometimes they remember to choose a book about their people. •
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About the Author:
Ashley Bryan was born in New York City and now lives on a small island off the coast of Maine, where he writes and illustrates books most of the year. A former teacher at Dartmouth College, he has compiled, written and illustrated numerous books, many of them African folktales, such as Ashley Bryan's African Tales, Uh Huh and The Story of Lightning and Thunder, and collections of spirituals such as All Night, All Day: A Child's First Book of African American Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration, and Lion and the Ostrich Chicks was a Coretta Scott King Honor Book.
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