What Happened to the Black Kids?

Have you observed nearly none of the fantasy African American Children's Books available for young people and children with Black characters? What happened to the Black children? What happened to the Black heroes and heroes? Take a look. There are many great novels for children featuring Black characters. Still, they're primarily realistic tales set in the year the book was first published or in an earlier historical period.

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Affected by centuries of invisible and incorrect information in nonfiction and negative representations in fiction, it's no surprise that writers of the Black community make the most of the novel's format to impart the truth about the culture and the experiences and contributions that Black Americans make. It's great. However, we live within our own Harry Potter era.

The youth of the Harry Potter Era has a serious "Jones" for the fantasy adventure novel. The voice of possibilities in this genre reflects the need to find something different and fresh to engage the mind and get the adrenaline pumping. Much like the more complex fantasy worlds emerging in computer-generated and gaming worlds, the fantasy African American Children's Books challenges the imagination. 

It provides an adrenaline rush of exploring an unknown world. Black young people want to see themselves represented in these novels because they want to be portrayed in other works. They would like to see their characters in those they, and other people, come to appreciate. They are drawn to people who look like their own and hear them speak like them. But more than that is the fact to see Black society and Black values promoted throughout the world in a positive perspective. 

Black children should be watching children from other cultures enjoying reading and appreciating the books which are part of Black culture. It's a matter of pride. It's an issue of education. It's about self-esteem. It's about inspiring children to read. It's about positive social change as well as it is a matter of justice.

I loved reading fantasy adventure books when I was a kid, and I am still awed by them when I am an older adult. I've read these stories with my stepsons and my three children as the kids were young, and they would spend an entire hour exploring together in the late evening and then settling down for the day. Because my two stepsons, my youngest daughter, and two sons happen to be Black, I've looked for high-quality books for young adults and children featuring Black characters. However, I haven't come across numerous Black characters in fantasy books.

The majority of times, I look at the tried-and-true standard Anglo-Saxon settings, characters, and images. Giants, elves, and Dwarves. Rings, runes, and castles. Ladies, knights, and dragons. Children at English boarding schools. The story isn't always bad, and it is a good description of some of my favorite children's stories. However, the story isn't Black, and it's not unique. I recently sent a request out to the Black Children Library. 

The members on this list serve mainly the school Black Children Library and public children's librarians from libraries across the nation. They are among the most resourceful and knowledgeable people you'll ever meet, and they know their children's literature. I asked them for the titles of fantasy stories featuring Black characters. The emails came in over days. The same handful of titles came up repeatedly, including The Ear, the Eye, and The Ear, The Eye, and The Arm (which, by the way, it's excellent reading). In all, there were around 12 titles and sure were not within the realm of possibility (like the Ursula LeGuin novel The Wizard of Earthsea, where Ged describes himself as being dark, but not Black).

Since there is an immense gap in fantasy for children, I always tell everyone who listens that we require more books for children that feature Black characters. I hope that as the glorious age of fantasy adventure unfolds, we will be given a chance to explore other worlds with more Black characters leading the way.