#WeNeedDiverseBooks
I wrote the Rooftop Club book series in 2006. It was long
before I became a published author. My goal with the series was to write a
series for African American boys and girls that they could relate to as
children of color. I wrote the series and set it in the backdrop of a city. I
chose Chicago, Illinois since it is my home. Also, I wanted to ensure that I
wrote a children’s book that dealt with a serious issue that often does not get
addressed. Therefore, I penned the first installment of the book series that
deals with bullying among older and younger children. My goal through this work
was to create a book that was realistic and helped children open up and have
discussions about how they feel when these things happen. The response has been
pretty good. However, each time I see a news story it makes me wonder whether
my work could have helped open up dialogue about this issue. Bullying is a
serious issue for schools and especially children of color that often experience
this issue daily. The problem with most books on this issue is that bullying is
limited to small incidents and doesn’t really reflect the experiences of the
children going through this daily nightmare. This is why we need diverse books.
Children need to see realistic experiences in books to help them navigate tough
circumstances.
Tiffany A. Flowers, Children’s Author
No comments:
Post a Comment