All children deserve to see positive images of children like themselves in the books they read.
Strong visual images of those similar to themselves, their friends, and their families are life-affirming and can encourage children to reach beyond the boundaries of their immediate life experiences and consider a multitude of possibilities for their futures. I made a special effort to find realistic stories and images, rather than only folk tales and legends, not because I would diminish the traditional works but because we need to employ powerful images in order to increase self-esteem in our youngest children. Fortunately, there are increasing numbers of picture books that provide realistic positive images of all of our children. The Story of African American Literature by Barbara Curry and James Michael Brodie, and illustrated by Jerry Butler. The books on the following list represent a sampling of such picture books featuring African-American children.