Historical Depictions of Black Characters in Children’s Picture Books

Shreya Joshi (she/her) is a research assistant for the Diverse BookFinder. Originally from Pune, India, she recently completed her first year at Bates College in the United States. She intends to major in history and believes that without understanding the past, one cannot begin to contextualize present day complexities. She has greatly enjoyed her time working for the DBF and reading diverse children's books. 

I recently came across an article discussing the historical trends of children’s literature and argued that these trends could not be separated from America’s racial history.

The article highlighted the work of Amanda Gailey, which emphasizes that children’s literature provides valuable insights into understanding the dominant views held toward race in society. These views then shed light on the “racial imagination of adults,” and the ideas they wish to impart to their children.

Gailey’s research reminded me of the content I covered in my own coursework as a first-year student at Bates College. In particular, I recall listening to a lecture by Stuart Hall in a cultural anthropology course. Hall argued “communication is always linked with power,” and groups that wield power in society are able to influence what gets represented in the media. When I began working for the Diverse BookFinder, I saw parallels from much of what I had learned, and thought back to the lecture by Hall. I observed that the lack of representation of BIPOC characters in children’s books, especially Black characters, reflects deeper issues. Issues that are historically rooted within the American society.

I began to question: how have Black characters historically been represented in children’s books? 

More importantly, I wanted to know: how have the past few decades of increasing demands for racial justice been reflected in the representation of Black characters in children’s books?

Studies on the Representation of Black Characters

In 1965, educator Nancy Larrick published "The All-White World of Children’s Books," which discussed her research on the topic. Larrick singled out two significant trends in the depictions of Black characters in children’s books: the complete omission and thus erasure of Black representation, or the problematic stereotyping of Black representation.

Larrick’s article detailed a survey she undertook that collected both quantitative and qualitative data to explore the representation of Black characters. The survey compiled data from 63 publishers, with a total of 5,206 books from 1962-1964, and concluded:

• 6.7% of the books surveyed included one or more Black characters represented in either text or illustrations.
• Fewer than 1% of the books surveyed portrayed Black characters in a contemporary American setting.
• 60% of the books surveyed with one or more Black characters were set outside the United States or before World War II. 
• Most often books that depicted Black characters showed them as “a servant or slave, a sharecropper, a migrant worker, or a menial,” playing into harmful stereotypes. 

Nearly a decade later in an article, titled “Blacks in the World of Children’s Literature,” Jeanne S. Chall et al. (1979) replicated Larrick’s study to determine whether advancements were made in the representation of Black characters in children’s books. They surveyed 4,775 books from fifty-one publishers between 1973 and 1975, and concluded:

• 14.4% of the books surveyed included one or more Black characters in the text or illustration.
• 70% of the books surveyed that included Black characters were set in the United States. 
• Black characters played significant roles in the majority of books in which they appeared, with 75% in main roles and 16% in secondary roles. 

The decade between the two surveys reflected notable advancements made toward Black representation in children’s books. However, it remained evident that this progress, although encouraging, was not enough. 

In their hopes for the future, Chall et al. wrote, 

Perhaps the best way to improve the situation further is to encourage and recognize talented writers from various minority groups who will create the literature from their own experiences.”

Black Representation Into the 21st Century

The start of the 21^st century witnessed increased advancements made in advocating for racial justice in the United States. Children’s books saw Black authors using literature to empower Black youth and illustrate the progress made by Black communities in their call for equality during different activist movements of the 20^th and 21^st centuries. 

Today, many books are highlighting the work of Black activists during the civil rights movement, and an increasing number of them have specifically focused on the involvement of Black children as proponents of social change. Recent books have also depicted contemporary social movements such as Black Lives Matter, and have placed Black children as central figures in the fight for justice. 

I have noticed examples of this in the Diverse BookFinder collection, such as these two books that capture the involvement of Black youth in social justice activism.

Johnson’s book follows the narrator and her sister’s involvement in the civil rights movement. While holding posters calling for change and marching alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Johnson depicts the two young girls as proponents of racial equality, equal to their adult counterparts. The illustrations present Black youth and adults together, marching for a single cause, and showcase children as equally important members of the civil rights movement. 

This book follows 8-year-old Breonna, a time traveler who finds herself in the midst the civil rights movement. During this journey, Marilyn Luper Hildreth (an 8-year-old who participated in a drug store sit-in in Oklahoma City, OK) inspired Breonna. The authors show Breonna realizing that like Marilyn, she is powerful and can call upon change within her community. The book ends in the present, with scenes from the Black Lives Matter movement and showing children and adults together calling for the end of racial injustices.

Conclusion

In my experience working with the Diverse BookFinder, I have come across many children’s books featuring Black and other BIPOC characters. Although they vary in themes, many of these books convey important messages and highlight different cultures in a meaningful way. I recognize the importance of seeing oneself represented in children’s literature. As a member of the BIPOC community myself, I wish that growing up I could have read more books that highlighted my culture and race. Reading these kinds of books now as an adult and as part of the DBF project, I hope all the children of today and the future can see themselves in books and know their cultures, stories, and identities matter.

In "Black stories matter: on the whiteness of children’s books," Andrea Adomako writes, "Children are not just the passive recipients of what they read. They should be seen as active subjects, creating and recreating themselves in relation to the representations that surround them." This is more and more evident as children’s literature is recognized as an important tool of education, and as authors rely on history and their own experiences to create narratives that include and empower youth from all racial backgrounds. 

We cannot deny the crucial role representation plays in children’s books and how important it is for young kids to see characters like themselves depicted in the books they read. We must also acknowledge that while much progress has been made, BIPOC characters are still  underrepresented in children’s picture books. There remains a long, but hopeful path ahead in the world of diverse children’s literature. 

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For more great picture books that center black youth as social justice activists, check out the following titles:

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