Book Series Depicts Black Children’s Joy
Book Series Depicts Black Children’s Joy
By Tia Carol Jones
Clothilde Ewing was inspired to write her Stella book series by her own two children. When she was pregnant with her oldest, her daughter, Stella, she asked people to bring their favorite books or their children’s favorite books because she wanted to build a library of books. She also wanted those books to reflect her family, her community and her world. She found that it wasn’t an easy task to create a library of books that were diverse in history, fun and family makeup.
Ewing, who worked as a journalist at CBS News, a television producer with the Oprah Winfrey Show and a communications professional, came across an article from an editor that really put into words what she experienced as she built the library for her children. The article, which talked about the lack of diversity in children’s books, the one or two notes of those stories and how important it was for children of color to experience joy in stories.
“I’m a proud Black woman, raising two proud Black children, and yet, a lot of the books that were out there featuring Black characters were either about overcoming struggle or excellence,” she said.
Ewing said while both of those notes are extremely important and her family has books like that in her house; it wasn’t all that the children in the community deserved when it came to depiction of Black characters. Ewing decided to start writing books that depicted the joy of being a child, with a Black girl named Stella at the center of the adventures.
Ewing’s book Stella and Roger Are on the Move is the fourth and final book in the series which features the imaginative, precocious, joyful Stella, and her friend Roger, who Ewing described as the worrier and dramatic, but a great sidekick for Stella. She said they balance each other out well and tackle adventures in front of them.
The first book, Stella Keeps the Sun Up, was written in 2022. Ewing said the book is really special to her. The second book, Stella and the Mystery of the Missing Tooth, she said in reading that story to diverse audiences the children said they saw the tooth fairy, seeing their reflection but not prescribing a race to the tooth fairy.
In the third book, Stella and Roger Can’t Wait to Grow Up, shows the anticipation of getting older. In the fourth book, Stella and Roger Are on the Move, Ewing said it is about what makes a place a home. For some it is the smell of a place, for others it might be the people who are in the space. She said it is an opportunity to show that home is different for everyone and to center gratitude with that.
Ewing said each of the books come from conversations or seeds of stories from her family – bedtime, losing teeth and the excitement of getting older and living in the moment. She said the stories are relatable and universal. She said that she hopes that people who read the books are able to see themselves in Stella. She said she wants all children to see themselves in Stella, but especially Black children.
Ewing was sent a photo of a girl dressed up as Stella for Character Day at school. She said it really touched her heart because it is the reason why she wrote the series – so that little Black girls could see themselves in a book character, could be that character and stand in with such confidence.
“I hope that children that look like mine, beautiful Black children, can see their stories and joyous character; they deserve that too. They deserve that reflection … they are meant to be the main characters in stories about joy that are centered in joy,” she said.
She reiterated that the stories about Black history and the people who contributed to that history are very important. She also believes that stories about characters that happen to be Black in universal stories about children being children and center joy are also important. She said that for her, it isn’t an either or, it is both.
Ewing will be doing readings at the following places on these dates:
November 15th - Book reading at Three Avenues in Chicago
November 16 - Book reading at *Play (Logan Square) in Chicago
November 22 - Book reading at Zora's Place in Evanston
For more information about Clothilde Ewing, visit www.clothildeewing.com. The books are available wherever books are sold.
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