That’s cross cultural (though the studios are taking their own sweet time diversifying our cinema). In a world where our news feed is filled with reports of violence, terror, and less than entirely capable world leaders, superheroes fill us with a shared sense of comfort.
In the 21st century (even more so than the 20th, I’d argue) they are our shared myths. Joanasie can build anything and Adamie is practically half fish, but what’s so special about Nalvana? The answer, as it turns out, is as clear as the nose on her face. And Maata who can jump farther than anyone off of a swing? That’s flight in the making. At school she’s quick to inform ultra-fast Davidee that he has super speed. Trouble is, Nalvana has a much easier time determining superpowers in her friends. Not only that, but she’s quite certain that if she can just crack the code behind her own super powered abilities, she’d be a bonified hero, no question. If Nalvana knows one thing and one thing alone it is this: Superpowers are real. Put another way, it’s a book kids will clamor to read, even as they learn terms like “anaana”, “inuksuk”, and “panik”.
Written by a picture book debut Inuk author, the story concentrates on a kid with a penchant for superhero abilities in a contemporary Inuit community. And then there are books like What’s My Superpower? by Aviaq Johnson. Jake the Fake takes the notebook novel style of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and gives it a black protagonist. The aforementioned Booger Beard by “Vinny” Navarette features a Latino kid with a disgusting talent.
Some books covering these topics are necessary, but do all of them have to? It’s really only been recently that’s we’ve seen children’s literature embrace diverse silliness. I mean, where’s the fun? After a while, they may begin to wonder why all the books about Jewish kids are about the Holocaust while all the African-American children either live during periods of slavery or the Civil Rights Era. But as with anything, if you hand children meaningful, serious, heartfelt stories over and over and over and over, they’re going to get antsy. Since #ownvoices and diversity are serious topics, they have been treated with great care and respect by authors and illustrators over the years. Nowhere is this more evident than when it comes to fun and funny books. While many children’s librarians will tell you that they have strived to make their book collections diverse and inclusive, they have always been hampered by what was being published in a given year.
0 kommentar(er)
