It’s important to educate children at an early age. One fun and easy way to do so is through children’s literature. In honor of Black History Month , we’re highlighting 5 books written by and for Afro-Latinxers that highlight the Afro-Latinx experience by touching on important topics. Whether it’s teaching kids about colorism or showing them they can be comfortable in their own skin, these books as well as their authors are making sure the next generation is equipped with the right tools.
Sulwe
Actress Lupita Nyong’o wrote a beautiful story that touched on the topic of colorism. In the book Sulwe wishes for her skin to be lighter, but an encounter with a shooting star teaches her to love her skin as it is. “I wrote #Sulwe to encourage children (and everyone really!) to love the skin they are in and see the beauty that radiates from within,” the Kenyan-Mexican actress wrote about her book.
I Am Enough
“I know that we don’t look the same—our skin, our eyes, our hair, our frame—but that does not dictate our worth. We both have places here on Earth.”In I Am Enough, actress and author Grace Byers advocates against bullying and teaches children to love themselves for who they are.
Amarita\'s Way
Amara La Negra is loud and proud of who she is, and now she wants little girls growing up today to feel the same way. “It’s truly what I preach at the end of the day,” she previously said about the book. “I always make sure to let them know that you don’t have to change who you are or the way you look to satisfy society’s standards of beauty because you’re beautiful just the way you are.”
Down by the River
Published in 1996, this book features a collection of Afro-Caribbean Rhymes, Games and Songs for children to learn from.
Islandborn
Domincan writer Junot Díaz teaches children to be proud of their roots with the story of Lola who can’t quite remember her homeland from when she emigrated as a baby. "Just because you don't remember a place doesn't mean it's not in you,” the author writes.
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