We Secured Our First International Buyer!

FUN FACTS:

Our founder, Jennifer Vassel, took 4 years of French in high school (don’t ask her how much of it she has retained, LOL).

2018: We launched the French version of “I Am Unique!”

2020: We secured our first international client, who ordered the books in bulk. Last week, we shipped this box all the way to France!

We’re so grateful for the opportunity to share this message of self-love in another language. We’re working on translating the book to Spanish as well, so make sure you’re on our mailing list to stay in the know!

We haven’t been on a plane since February, so we’re definitely itching to travel and catch up to some of Erin’s destinations.

What are some places you’d like to visit once we’re out of this pandemic? Let us know in the comments!

100 Children's Books Featuring Black Characters Written by Black Authors

When we talk about diversity in children’s books, we often think about the lack of diversity in the characters. For example, based on the infographic below, there are more books written about animals than there are of people of color:

A lack of diverse characters is only half the problem, though. Who’s writing the story? Not us, according to this chart from 2017. Black, Latinx, and Native American authors COMBINED only wrote 7% of children’s books published in 2017. Seven percent. This tells us that not only are we not represented on the pages, when we are, we’re not telling our own stories.

Growing up, I didn’t see many children’s books out there with characters who looked like me. Additionally, I never knew writing could be a viable career path because I didn’t see anyone who looked like me doing it. When kids can see themselves in the content they consume, it opens up their minds to infinite possibilities. Imagine seeing a child’s eyes light up when they find out the author looks just like them. That happened to me a couple years ago when I did a reading at an elementary school. A little girl walked up to me and wrapped her arms around my waist. We met eyes and she said, “I want to read and write books just like you.” Representation matters. Without it, kids won’t ever know how big they can dare to dream.

When we talk about diversity, stopping at the product is only scraping the surface. Not only should we see ourselves on the pages, but we should see ourselves CREATING said pages, too. Our voices are brilliantly unique; the power of stories lie with the person who tells it. 

That’s why I’ve compiled a list of 100 children’s books featuring Black characters that were actually written by Black authors. Enjoy!

PLEASE NOTE: I’ve linked the books to sites where I found them online (e.g., Amazon, the publisher’s or the author’s website), but if you’re able to find them at your local Black-owned bookstore, consider supporting them! Here’s a list of Black-owned bookstores to support year-round.

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Race/Anti-Racism

1. Woke Baby by Mohogany L. Browne

2. Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi

3. An ABC of Equality by Chana Ginelle Ewing

4. A Kids Book About Racism by Jelani Memory

5. Hey Black Child by Useni Eugene Perkins

6. Get Up, Stand Up by Bob Marley and Cedella Marley

7. Mixed Me! by Taye Diggs

8. Hands Up! by Breanna J. McDaniel

9. We March by Shane W. Evans

10. The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family by Ibtihaj Muhammad

11. That Is My Dream! by Langston Hughes

12. Chocolate Me! by Taye Diggs

13. We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices by Wade Hudson & Cheryl Willis Hudson

14. I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes

15. M is for Melanin: A Celebration of the Black Child by Tiffany Rose

16. Ana and Andrew book series by Christine Platt

17. The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson 

Biographies

18. Harriet Tubman by Christine Platt

19. The Story of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Christine Platt

20. Oprah: The Little Speaker by Carole Boston Weatherford

21. Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison

22. Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History by Vashti Harrison

23. Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly

24. Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope by Nikki Grimes

25. Black Heroes: A Black History Book for Kids: 51 Inspiring People from Ancient Africa to Modern-Day U.S.A. by Arlisha Norwood

26. Nelson Mandela by Kadir Nelson

27. Power of Her Pen: The Groundbreaking Journalist Ethel L. Payne by Lesa Cline-Ransome 

28. Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa by Andrea Pinkney

29. Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X by Ilyasah Shabazz

30. Talkin’ about Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman by Nikki Grimes

31. A Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice by Nadia Hohn

32. 101 Black Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics: Leaders in Black History by L.A. Amber

33. Before John Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane by Carole Boston Weatherford

34. I, Matthew Henson: Polar Explorer by Carole Boston Weatherford

35. Take a Picture of Me, James Vanderzee! by Andrea J. Loney

Self-Esteem

36. I Am Unique! by Jennifer Vassel

37. Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o

38. Parker Looks Up: An Extraordinary Moment by Parker Curry and Jessica Curry

39. I Am Enough by Grace Byers

40. ABCs for Me by Melanie Goolsby

41. Riley Can Be Anything by Davina Hamilton

42. I Promise by Lebron James

43. Happy Hair by Mechal Renee Roe

44. Cool Cuts by Mechal Renee Roe

45. Skin Like Mine by LaTashia M. Perry

46. Being You by Alexs Pate

47. All Because You Matter by Tami Charles

48. I Know I Can! by Veronica N. Chapman

49. The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard 

50. You Can Do It! by Tony Dungy

51. I Believe I Can by Grace Byers

52. Beautiful Beautiful Me by Ashley Sirah Hinton

53. Bedtime Inspirational Stories: 50 Amazing Black People Who Changed the World by L.A. Amber

54. The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson

55. Dear Black Boy by Martellus Bennett

56. Muhiima’s Quest by Rahma Rodaah

Caribbean/African Diaspora

57. Calloloo: The Trickster and the Magic by Marjuan Canady

58. Callaloo: A Jazz Folktale by Marjuan Canady

59. Callaloo: The Legend of the Golden Coquí by Marjuan Canady

60. Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story  by Noble Maillard

61. Anna Carries Water by Olive Senior

62. A Tasty Maandazi by Kwame Nyong'o

63. My Rows and Piles of Coins by Tololwa M. Mollel

64. A Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice by Nadia Hohn

65. The Boy from Nine Miles: The Early Life of Bob Marley by Cedella Marley

66. I Love You by Ziggy Marley

67. Baby Goes to Market by Atinuke

68. Catch that Goat: A Market Day in Nigeria by Polly Alakija

69. How the Leopard Got His Claws by Chinua Achebe

70. Blue Mountain Trouble by Martin Mordecai

Family/Arts 

71. Little Miss Dancey Pants book series by Kourtni Mason

72. Firebird by Misty Copeland

73. Dancing in the Wings by Debbie Allen

74. Freedom Soup by Tami Charles 

75. Grammy and Me by Tyrah Majors

76. Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters by Barack Obama

77. Jonathan and His Mommy by Irene Smalls

78. Change Sings: A Children's Anthem by Amanda Gorman

79. Peekaboo Morning by Deloris Jordan

80. Bippity Bop Barbershop by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley

81. Double Bass Blues by Andrea J. Loney

82. Going Down Home with Daddy by Kelly Starling Lyons

83. Blue Moon: From the Journals of Mama Mae and LeeLee by Alicia Keys, Jessica Walton

84. Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat by Nikki Giovanni

85. My Pop Pop and Me by Irene Smalls

86. The Little Girl Who Lost Her Smile by Tiffney Cambridge

STEM

87. Abby Invents Unbreakable Crayons by Dr. Arlyne Simon

88. Building My Self-eSTEAM in Science by Yasmine Daniels, PhD

89. Sasha Savvy Loves to Code by Sasha Ariel Alston

90. Olivia’s Doctor Adventures by Dr. Ashley Denmark

91. Jada Jones: Sleepover Scientist by Kelly Starling Lyons

92. The Meteorologist in Me by Brittney Shipp 

93. The Magnificent Makers book series by Dr. Theanne Griffith 

94. Mae Among The Stars by Roda Ahmed 

95. Nola the Nurse book series by Dr. Sharmaine Lawson

96. Black Women in Science: A Black History Book for Kids by Kimberly Brown Pellum, PhD

97. Swift Walker: A Space Adventure book series by Verlyn Tarlton

98. Doc 2 Doc: Tony and Jace Learn About The Heart by Dr. Dale Okorodudu

99. Doc Like Daddy by Dr. Crystal Bowe

100. Bending Time (Adventures of Emery Jones, Boy Science Wonder) by Charles Johnson

Moms in Color 2018

Not only is March Women's History Month, it was Moms in Color's event launch! Moms in Color is a collective created to celebrate diversity, complexity and intersectional motherhood. Their mission is to inspire, motivate, and spread awareness around the topics that affect moms most. We were honored to be one of the vendors at this event. 

The key takeaway from this event is that representation matters. When we have booths at events, our founder likes to give visitors a brief overview of the mission and message behind "I Am Unique!" When we vendored at this event, a number of women bypassed the intro and went straight to asking how much the book costs.

"I want to buy the book because [Erin] looks just like my daughter" many of the mothers expressed. Some of them even took out their phones to show us how much Erin resembles their daughter.

There's something about seeing yourself positively depicted in the content we consume. A special thanks to the lovely women of MIC who curated such an amazing event!