HERE’S FOUR BOOKS EVERY BLACK TWEEN SHOULD READ BELOW!
I AM EVERY GOOD THING BY DERRICK BARNE
This picture book portrays ever so clearly black boy joy and black excellence. This book not only affirms black boys as they come of age but it also educates the non-black readers. In these days where a racist society tries to place a false narrative on our black boys, this important book serves as one of the needed voices countering that narrative. One way to silence the lie is to present the truth and that is exactly what this book does. Contrary to false opinions this book shows us that our black boys have dreams, they are not immune to pain and they are raised to be respectful young men.
Black tweens need to grow up knowing and defining exactly who they are and not accepting the definition that the racist man down the street tries to put on them. They are indeed every good thing!
This book does a beautiful job in reminding us of what truly matters. Sometimes the obsession with perfection causes us to be present with loved ones yet absent. In this book, a mother and daughter have the perfect Saturday planned out. There is going to be story time, salon time, picnic time and the well-anticipated puppet show. It was going to be simply…EXCITING!
But what happens when every activity you planned to do with mum gets cancelled? What happens when your perfect Saturday plans with mum always seem to get interrupted? In a world where life does not always go our way, this book shows us that these precious moments with loved ones are not special, because of the activities we do, but because of who we are with.
So, if every activity we plan to do with the ones we love gets cancelled and our perfect Saturday plans with loved ones get interrupted by situations, this is a reminder that being together with loved ones is what matters the most!
‘No one has ever become poor by giving,’ a popular quote by Anne Frank that perfectly summarizes this beautiful story of sharing and community. Omu is excellent in the kitchen and the smell of her stew brings the whole neighbourhood one by one knocking on her door asking for a portion. He is one that gives and gives and gives some more until there is nothing left for herself. However, Omu ends up with more than enough as the whole neighbourhood brings her food to say thank you.
This short story is one of those books you read as a tween where the moral of the story eventually forms a part of who you are. Black tweens are the future leaders of society and societies thrive on sharing. Hence the message portrayed in this book is one that every tween needs to hold onto as they blossom into a teen and eventually into an adult.
The importance of teamwork should be instilled into the mind of every black tween. Most of the time the twists and turns of life cause us to hide in ourselves and we find ourselves running and running, from everything and everyone. This book takes us on a journey of the life of Patina, a young girl whose unfortunate life’s situation produces an ‘I can do it all by myself’ attitude. However, when Patty gets involved in a relay race competition where the only obvious way to succeed is to embrace team efforts.
A message like this are important for black tweens to let them know from an early age, that teamwork makes the dream work. That in this race called life that we are all running, we need each other. We were designed for relationships and we flourish in community. This is the important message that we learn as we proudly watch Patina allow herself to embrace team effort.
Happy Reading!
Written by: Ifeoma
