Does it matter that little Tony is black?

[Cristina Chifane]

I didn't view it as black kids can only do ordinary things while the superpowers belong to the white kids. For me, the story showed that important people (superheroes) still do ordinary activities and chores like everyone else.

I agree - and perhaps also that what's really heroic is doing actually helpful things.

You're right about that. It's heroic in a way to keep doing helpful or useful things, especially in today's world. Anyway, the book drives off the traditional perception of what heroic means or has been ordinarily assumed to indicate.

[Cristina Chifane]

The book is actually talking about the ordinary things he likes to do while he’s not saving the world. I don’t think the author meant anything by it, I think she was just trying to make it diverse. If you notice when they are playing there are all different races.

I've noticed that detail too. Thanks for mentioning it. I also think diversity matters and the scene in the swimming pool is very well chosen from this perspective.

[HarleenQuinzel]

There are actually several black superheroes if you are familiar with any of the Marvel universe comic books! I think representation is important and there should be more black superheroes. A children’s book with a black superhero is an aboslutely wonderful idea.

[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 feel the same way. When I saw this topic thread I tried to imagine the book with a different race or gender. It made absolutely no difference.

I agree with you. However, does it matter in terms of representation and more importantly, does the way in which Toni is portrayed changes anything?

[Cristina Chifane]

I didn't view it as black kids can only do ordinary things while the superpowers belong to the white kids. For me, the story showed that important people (superheroes) still do ordinary activities and chores like everyone else.

I agree - and perhaps also that what's really heroic is doing actually helpful things.

Your comments are always so insightful. I hope kids will get that message out of this book.

I hope so too although I have my doubts.

[jay_2]

The fact that he was black didn’t even click. I did not think any of those things. So clearly, I don’t think it matters that toni is black or not. Why bring up race in everything? It is a book lol. Nothing wrong with Toni being black.

[Adediran Israel]

The color of the skin to me does not matter at all, it is what the Toni offer that matters a lot. What of if Toni is white and he is not happy

[Ashiyya Tariq]

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 guess my cultural conditioning and scholar training are to be blamed for my observations. It could be interesting to show the book to a number of children and see what happens. We learn about racial distinctions in time, so it's a good idea to have a black superhero to make sure we get rid of any prejudice and misconceptions.

I totally agree. And you're right, it would be interesting to see how many kids commented on Toni's colour - if any
Really interesting question though!

It's a good idea to show the book book to children to take their real feedback over Toni's personality as black superhero. I think response would be interesting.

[Ashiyya Tariq]

The fact that he was black didn’t even click. I did not think any of those things. So clearly, I don’t think it matters that toni is black or not. Why bring up race in everything? It is a book lol. Nothing wrong with Toni being black.

I didn't even noticed this too. And I think very few children will point out this thing if they are not told earlier.

[Ashiyya Tariq]

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 feel the same way. When I saw this topic thread I tried to imagine the book with a different race or gender. It made absolutely no difference.

I agree with you. However, does it matter in terms of representation and more importantly, does the way in which Toni is portrayed changes anything?

I think, Toni's color will only those who are conscious about race and color. Otherwise it is a good idea to chose the superhero a black kid to support the black community.

[Ashiyya Tariq]

There are actually several black superheroes if you are familiar with any of the Marvel universe comic books! I think representation is important and there should be more black superheroes. A children’s book with a black superhero is an aboslutely wonderful idea.

Of coarse we have seen many black superheroes in the past, and children often watch those movies like black panthers. So children are already familiar with black superheroes.

[Ashiyya Tariq]

The book is actually talking about the ordinary things he likes to do while he’s not saving the world. I don’t think the author meant anything by it, I think she was just trying to make it diverse. If you notice when they are playing there are all different races.

I've noticed that detail too. Thanks for mentioning it. I also think diversity matters and the scene in the swimming pool is very well chosen from this perspective.

Cultural diversity is the beauty of this book. Which clearly gives a message of racial tolerance. If children learn from this it will be a great achievement.

[kfwilson6]

While the book could be interpreted as "black superheroes don't do superhero stuff", there's to consider that doing good things in small doses is actually the way to be a real superhero. Being extraordinary in the ordinary is the right path to success and greatness. This book reflects that.

The racial thing is both separate and joint to the meaning. America just had its first black president and many minorities are starting to have a real voice in society. The book helps build a tolerance towards minorities and shows that not only can they be superheroes too, but that the way to do it is through small deeds.

It tells any child that if Toni can be a superhero, they can too.

Plus, having a child help at home because a book told him so, is better than having a child trying to jump through the roof wanting to be Superman... just saying, it has happened.

I don't think "the racial thing is separate and joint to the meaning." I invite you to stop thinking of America for one second. There are 195 countries in the world today (54 - Africa, 48 - Asia, 44- Europe, 33 - Latin America and the Caribbean, 14 - Oceania and 2 - Northern America). Yes, America had its first black president, but you also say other things, perhaps without realising it. You write: "many minorities are starting to have a real voice in society." or "The book helps build a tolerance towards minorities...". What do you actually say? That people noticed that they had a black president for the first time, that the whole idea of representation is just at the beginning, etc. Besides, I don't think minorities should be merely tolerated, minorities should not be treated any different, should be simply integrated. Closely look at what's happening in the world today and you'll unfortunately see multiculturalism losing a lot of ground.

You say that minorities should be integrated but pointed out Toni's color when I think integration is exactly why so many if us didn't notice Toni's skin color. Seeing a person with a different skin color us normal. They ate just another person to me. It sounds like you are criticizing some of us for our American perspective, but the diversity in our country is why we saw Toni as a kid who could be a role model for any of our children.

[Cristina Chifane]

While the book could be interpreted as "black superheroes don't do superhero stuff", there's to consider that doing good things in small doses is actually the way to be a real superhero. Being extraordinary in the ordinary is the right path to success and greatness. This book reflects that.

The racial thing is both separate and joint to the meaning. America just had its first black president and many minorities are starting to have a real voice in society. The book helps build a tolerance towards minorities and shows that not only can they be superheroes too, but that the way to do it is through small deeds.

It tells any child that if Toni can be a superhero, they can too.

Plus, having a child help at home because a book told him so, is better than having a child trying to jump through the roof wanting to be Superman... just saying, it has happened.

I don't think "the racial thing is separate and joint to the meaning." I invite you to stop thinking of America for one second. There are 195 countries in the world today (54 - Africa, 48 - Asia, 44- Europe, 33 - Latin America and the Caribbean, 14 - Oceania and 2 - Northern America). Yes, America had its first black president, but you also say other things, perhaps without realising it. You write: "many minorities are starting to have a real voice in society." or "The book helps build a tolerance towards minorities...". What do you actually say? That people noticed that they had a black president for the first time, that the whole idea of representation is just at the beginning, etc. Besides, I don't think minorities should be merely tolerated, minorities should not be treated any different, should be simply integrated. Closely look at what's happening in the world today and you'll unfortunately see multiculturalism losing a lot of ground.

You say that minorities should be integrated but pointed out Toni's color when I think integration is exactly why so many if us didn't notice Toni's skin color. Seeing a person with a different skin color us normal. They ate just another person to me. It sounds like you are criticizing some of us for our American perspective, but the diversity in our country is why we saw Toni as a kid who could be a role model for any of our children.

No, I am not criticizing your American perspective. I'm just saying that there are 194 other countries in the world where conditions are not the same as in America. If for you, seeing a person with a different skin color on a daily basis is normal, for kids in other countries things are different. You seemed to have misunderstood my point here. I also see Toni as a potential role model. I was just wondering if his representation may create potentially negative associations in children's minds considering all the historical past. After all, I can only be happy if you believe in diversity and better representation.

[Cristina Chifane]

A very interesting question. My initial response was yes, it matters to black kids who are learning to read to see themselves represented in the books they are exposed to. The more diversity and inclusion are normalized, the more they will become reality. But you make an interesting point about him NOT doing the things that other (white?) superheros do, and your question made me think. I don't know, everything is open to interpretation, and if the Toni character is perceived as presenting the subtext you describe, that's going to be problematic. That said, Toni is introduced as a superhero, and dressed as one in all the illustrations though.To be honest, it is a very simple book for beginning readers, and it is intentionally restricted to simple sentences. I don't feel that it's the right book for complex messages about race or anything else. None of the sentences are negative: i.e. about things he can't do, or about external limitations on his abilities, so I would be cautious about reading that kind of negative message into it. My understanding is that it's the first book in a series of books for beginning readers, and simply introduces the character to the readers. I think the idea is that kids get to know and relate to Toni as they find activities in common with him, and start to read simple sentences for themselves. I haven't read later books in the series, but I understood that he would get into superhero style adventures later on. Honestly, it never entered my head that he wouldn't be able to because he's black!

To be honest with you, I didn't notice the first time I saw the book either, but then I read about Toni being a little black kid in one of the reviews of the book and I started thinking of his representation in the book and the message the book sends. I agree with what you say, but the message about race is not necessarily a complex one. I also think the author did not think of such a possible interpretation, but we like it or not, the boy does hold a broom on the cover picture and if this does not undermine gender stereotypes, I don't know what else would. As for the racial problem, I simply would have liked the author to handle her representation of Toni with much more care.