{Guest Post By Deedee Cummings}

As I write this, I am sitting across from my young son, Nick, who is Black like me. He is reading a book with no pictures and his eyes are moving fervently as he scans the pages. I wonder what he is thinking as he reads the words and absorbs the story.

When I read a book, the words play like a movie in my head. I can see the characters and the scenes clearly. The best books seem to let me guide much of what this looks like. Most often, when I use my own imagination, the characters look like me and people I know. I assign myself the best roles of course. The roles that seem to be like me or that I aspire to be.

When Nick was younger, I would think about him throughout his school day and hope he was having fun or learning something exciting that would continue to spark his desire to learn. I often pictured him in class with his teacher reading to him. Perhaps because this was one of his favorite parts of the school day in the early grades. I could see him on the carpet in a circle as the teacher reads to the class and in my mind’s eye, I always pictured him hovering over the pages of the book, too eager to wait for the teacher to finish reading the page she was on and flash the illustrations to the circle.

This image would not always end well because I knew that what Nick was eager to see was someone who looked like him. A character in a book who, for once, he could relate to and be proud of as if it were Nick himself on that page. Nick would report the books they read in class and because the characters often did not reflect our background or our experiences, I had to work to actively counterbalance this at home.

There are more diverse books in publication now, making this mission less difficult- until the holidays arrive. Though the selection of picture books is better than it was five years ago, the selection of kid’s picture books with IBPOC is still pretty slim and that is especially true of holiday books that feature a little brown boy as the main character.

I remember feeling sad a few years ago that we had capped out our holiday collection with black characters in main roles. I had tried to continue our tradition of adding to our diverse holiday book collection every year, but it just seemed that we had bought every title that was available. We literally seemed to have them all.

How can that be possible? I recall thinking. But I also remembered this powerful quote: “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” ― Toni Morrison

I knew right then and there, that I would write the book I wished to see on my own home bookshelf: a book about a little brown boy who helps Santa save Christmas.

The result was my diverse holiday picture book, In The Nick of Time.

In The Nick of Time is a timely tale about a Little Brown Boy who Saves Christmas. Nick Saint never really put a lot of thought into his name until one snowy day in December when he accidentally receives a letter meant for Saint Nick. Realizing there is not much time left until Christmas, Nick opens the letter. The unexpected message inside ultimately leads him on a journey of understanding poverty, gratitude, and service to others while discovering the real meaning of the holiday spirit.

In The Nick of Time is a story that is beautiful and filled with messages that all children need to hear about poverty, gratitude, and service to others. We believe Santa would be so proud.

I know I am.

But most of all, I am proud that I took action to remedy the lack of diversity for my own son Nick, who is now 11.

I hope that hundreds of thousands of little Black children will grow up eagerly leaning over the pages of a newfound favorite book; a book that will have characters within the pages that look just like them.

I hope they will smile with satisfaction when they hear the words about a hero who saved the day; a hero they can completely relate to.

As this generation of readers grows older and move away from daily picture book reading, I know they will find it easier to read and visualize that they might actually be the hero in a story because that foundation has already been cemented through diverse picture books.

The imagination formed through picture books carries over to a lifetime of reading, visualization, and dreaming about who we are, what we can do, and what we can be.

There was a time when finding holiday picture books with Black characters (especially one with brown young boys) was super challenging and every year it seemed even harder to find a new title that we didn’t already own.

I remember grumbling to myself, why is it so difficult to keep building this collection? My family loves Christmas too, why can’t we be represented in the books my kids read?

What did I do? I took action. Please take a moment to visit the Make A Way Media blog and read my story Calling Out the Lack of Diverse Holiday Picture Books (And What I Did About It).

Go HERE to learn more about In The Nick of Time and all of Deedee’s diverse picture books.

About Deedee Cummings

 

 

As a therapist, attorney, author, and CEO of Make A Way Media, Deedee Cummings has a passion for making the world a better place. All eleven of Cummings’ diverse picture, poetry, and workbooks for kids reflect her professional knowledge and love of life. In her award-winning 2019 picture book, This Is the Earth  Cummings uses bold and bright illustrations to share a message of peace, love, respect, compassion, inclusion, and how everyone is a steward of the world in which we live. Her newest release, In The Nick of Time (November 2019) is the story of a little brown boy who saves Christmas.

Cummings has spent more than two decades working within the family therapy and support field and much of her writing share her experiences of working with kids in therapeutic foster care. She is also the founder and creator of the Louisville Book Festival; a literacy-based celebration that will occur in Louisville, KY on October 23rd and 24th, 2020.