Fully-illustated children’s book with kids of color as protagonists are slowly becoming more available, and illustrators and authors of color join publication houses that previously “whitewashed” their stories. In years past, pubishers would reject tales related to cultural experiences that they thought only catered to smaller social audiences and went with generic tropes and one-dimensional characters in order to ostensibly reach the largest audience; even tales of accomplished girls were written off. Charles Esperanza, an Afro Puerto Rican illustrator and author whose new book, “Boogie Boogie Y’all,” published this summer, describes how one editor told him they would: “prefer to have an animal like a panda or something as a main character, because every kid could relate to that.”
Relatability is key to the success of a children’s book, and when protagonists are girls and kids of color, the reading experience will expand all audiences’ ability to relate to all cultures and expand their inclusive concept of families and communities!
Read full article at CNN.com: Afro Latinx children’s books are still too rare. These four authors are trying to change that.