Does it matter that little Tony is black?

[Cristina Chifane]

Personally, I don't view it as black kids can only do mundane tasks, but rather that black kids can do ANYTHING. I think it is important that Toni is black, because any and all representation is important. Kids should grow up being able to consume content with characters who are like them, and this book makes that a little easier for black kids!

I agree with you. Representation matters a lot. I didn't think this question would stir so much debate, but it did and this must prove something. Black kids should have characters to identify themselves with. Is Toni such a character? Is it a good idea to have Toni holding a broom on the cover and the broom stamping on some books?

[Cristina Chifane]

This is an interesting question because when I think about superheroes, I think Batman, Superman, Spider-Man... All white men who do incredible things. Then there's Toni, who does normal things. I don't know if race has anything to do with it, but I would have liked to have seen what "superhero" things Toni likes to do, as well as the normal things. Maybe we'll see him be more of a superhero in the next book in the series.

I would have liked the same: to see Toni doing both superhero and normal things. In that case, children would get the message adults noticed here, that superheroes also do ordinary things or that performing household chores is as much a superhero thing as anything else.

[Cristina Chifane]

This is an interesting question. I think it matters, I know many black kids who often didn't have many characters in their stories that looked like them, so something like Black Panther meant the world, and I think this would too. He doesn't have super powers, but so do many other characters in kid's books. After talking to my friend's kids, seeing only white characters made them feel like they didn't matter all that much, or that they couldn't be included. I think it's great that Toni exists just as he is.

Thanks for sharing something of your own personal experience. Since this is a children's book, I primarily thought of its impact on children.

[Cristina Chifane]

My thought was that this is about encouraging kids to do helpful things and chores. It didn't crosd my mind that only white children would have the actual superpowers.

It might not cross our minds, but the representation as such remains. For example, think of Toni on the cover. He is holding a broom and stamping on some books. Then, the first thing Toni likes doing is to read. Doesn't this strike you as a contradiction? I have the feeling many think that a children's book may not require so much attention to details as a book for adults. I think exactly the opposite. Everything should be carefully planned and organized because children learn a lot from books.

[Cristina Chifane]

We definitely need to stop seeing color and just see kids like kids do. I volunteer at a mixed race grade school, and see kids interact in a color blind manner. Tony engages in superhero activities but also other more "mundane" activities. It's a great lesson that real life is not all fantasy.

I have this thing I like repeating. Life is never only black and white. Life is a kaleidoscope of wonderful colors. It's great that you volunteered at a mixed race grade school and I agree with you that color should not matter. My question here was different, though. I was asking myself if Toni's representation matters or not, if it sends a certain message or not. I had to ask this question because I can't conveniently forget history as well as present-day life.

[Cristina Chifane]

I don't know.

Being the parent of a son, I well remember when he found a Batman cape and began wearing it all the time. Those are very fond memories because children see the world with wonder in their eyes, and that is how I viewed this book. I think Toni believes he is a superhero in his super-life.

R.D. Base is the mother of a few boys, and it was my opinion that she was tapping into this wonder and joy. That's how I read it and that's why I really loved it.

Great answer! Yes, this is why I have nothing against Toni having some real superpowers. Children do look at the world with wonder and they do believe in magic and miracles. Still, you yourself noticed that your son imitated some superhero he knew. Why does Toni still have a cape and a suit with the T letter on it? Why isn't he wearing some T-shirt and jeans?

[Cristina Chifane]

As a black parent - and now grandparent - it didn't even occur to me that such a comparison could be made. I was focused on the lesson that even superheroes do chores AND enjoy it... In my review, I did mention Tony's color, but I did so as a positive -

I like that the hero in question is a boy of color. In a genre where the superheros have historically been fair-skinned, it's important for little African-American children to see heroes who look like themselves. Since Black Panther is making a splash at the box office, the timing is on-point for our little hero.

I agree. When I was reading to my son at that age, I remember how much he loved Peter from A Snowy Day. As a boy living in the south he loved the story about snow, since he hadn't seen any yet. I thought it was wonderful that Peter was a boy of color and the hero of a classic children's book. (This winter the US Postal Servie had Snowy Day stamps!)

It's important for all children to see people of color reflected in what they read.

I would like to add something here. I have the impression that many people here are strictly thinking of America and an intercultural environment. Please try thinking of different other environments and places and reconsider the idea of representation in different contexts. Imagine this book being added to libraries in kindergartens in China, Turkey, Romania, Nigeria, etc.

[Cristina Chifane]

No it doesn't. He was a cute kid and his smile was always captivating. My kids loved that book.

I am glad your kids enjoyed the book so much. I loved Toni's smile too.

[Cristina Chifane]

This is an interesting question! However, I feel like this is now up to the parents/people reading the book to the child in question. The adult is the one responsible for the education of the younger masses, aka creating a colourblind society, and it is important to start it young. In other words, the adult has to let the child know that doing your daily chores is also a form of superhero activity, and it is not in any form inferior to other children with "actual superhero powers" (whether white or not).

You're right about the guiding roles of the adults and our implicit duty to create what you wonderfully call a "colourblind society." Changing the tone of our conversation, don't you think Tony already sets a very high standard? I mean, he seems to be liking an awful lot of things. I found myself thinking the author was pretty smart in choosing the pattern "to like" instead of "can". Imagine the following substitution: Tony can swim... read... dance..., etc. I think many readers have made this switch in their minds without being aware of it. It would make sense for Tony the superhero to be able to do a number of things rather than simply liking them.

I agree with you about the author being smart enough to choose that pattern! However, I would think that the large variety of things Toni is seen liking is merely the author's way of introducing various activities to children, just like how we would teach children to name a variety of colours, or even teaching them the numbers. (:

Yes, but from my experience there is usually some kind of order in the activities introduced to children in this type of books. In this case, the activities are much too random and perhaps confusing.

[Cristina Chifane]

The fact that Toni is black didn't even register on my radar until this thread. So I obviously felt none of the above.
And I don't think it will for kids either. They just see another kid, it's us adults that notice the colour

I'm sure the author would be surprised as well, sometimes our personal experiences lead us to read too much into things.

I was just thinking. Why are people so bothered by the fact that children may notice the color of Toni's skin if this doesn't matter at all as they say? The truth is we are different and our differences make us unique. If I notice that Toni is black, this shouldn't be something bad. Representation is always a good thing. My mature mind thought of the type of representation and its possible implications, hence the question.

[SAMINA1122]

You're ideal about that. At first I was very shocked with this book getting to be BOTM. I was additionally astonished to find what number of positive audits it got. I asked myself for what valid reason this happened. I figure my inquiries mirror my perplexity. I have examined kid brain research for some time and perhaps this is the motivation behind why I have a few reservations about this book as far as association and substance .the message is for all intents and purposes that dark superheroes can spare the day the same as white superheroes. For this situation, the creator could have even gone above and beyond and destroyed the hero legend all in.

[FictionLover]

As a black parent - and now grandparent - it didn't even occur to me that such a comparison could be made. I was focused on the lesson that even superheroes do chores AND enjoy it... In my review, I did mention Tony's color, but I did so as a positive -

I agree. When I was reading to my son at that age, I remember how much he loved Peter from A Snowy Day. As a boy living in the south he loved the story about snow, since he hadn't seen any yet. I thought it was wonderful that Peter was a boy of color and the hero of a classic children's book. (This winter the US Postal Servie had Snowy Day stamps!)

It's important for all children to see people of color reflected in what they read.

I would like to add something here. I have the impression that many people here are strictly thinking of America and an intercultural environment. Please try thinking of different other environments and places and reconsider the idea of representation in different contexts. Imagine this book being added to libraries in kindergartens in China, Turkey, Romania, Nigeria, etc.

I see your point. But I don't know how to answer, as I've never been to any of those places. In theory, it would be great. In practice, I think it would be difficult, especially since this is being marketed as an e-book first.

[FictionLover]

I don't know.

Being the parent of a son, I well remember when he found a Batman cape and began wearing it all the time. Those are very fond memories because children see the world with wonder in their eyes, and that is how I viewed this book. I think Toni believes he is a superhero in his super-life.

R.D. Base is the mother of a few boys, and it was my opinion that she was tapping into this wonder and joy. That's how I read it and that's why I really loved it.

Great answer! Yes, this is why I have nothing against Toni having some real superpowers. Children do look at the world with wonder and they do believe in magic and miracles. Still, you yourself noticed that your son imitated some superhero he knew. Why does Toni still have a cape and a suit with the T letter on it? Why isn't he wearing some T-shirt and jeans?

That, I can't answer.

[njowam96-]

I didn't even know that Tony is a black kid... even with that it still doesn't matter...

[Cristina Chifane]

I don't know.

Being the parent of a son, I well remember when he found a Batman cape and began wearing it all the time. Those are very fond memories because children see the world with wonder in their eyes, and that is how I viewed this book. I think Toni believes he is a superhero in his super-life.

R.D. Base is the mother of a few boys, and it was my opinion that she was tapping into this wonder and joy. That's how I read it and that's why I really loved it.

Great answer! Yes, this is why I have nothing against Toni having some real superpowers. Children do look at the world with wonder and they do believe in magic and miracles. Still, you yourself noticed that your son imitated some superhero he knew. Why does Toni still have a cape and a suit with the T letter on it? Why isn't he wearing some T-shirt and jeans?

That, I can't answer.

I have this tendency of asking impossible questions. Just imagine me in my childhood!