Walk Tall in the World: African American Literature for Today's Children

Abstract

Everett Anderson, an irrepressible six-year-old Black child full of tricks and full of joy (Clifton, 1970), appeared at the beginning of a modern burgeoning of African American children's literature. His periodic reappearances in a series of seven picture books continued until 1983, paralleling a period of growth and then decline in the quantity of children's books by and about Blacks. The late eighties have seen an upturn in the numbers of such books, and this article focuses primarily on those published recently enough to still be available in an era when children's books go out of print in an astonishingly brief time. It is intended to provide an overview of current African American authors and artists writing for elementary school children (kindergarten through sixth grade), and of the themes, issues, and trends apparent from an examination of their work. The article concludes with a discussion of the importance of literature in the development of literacy and some suggestions for incorporating African American children's books into activities at home and in elementary classrooms.