Meet the Black children’s book authors writing a new narrative in Kansas City

Black-owned businesses fill the booths at a recent vendor event, selling clothing, candles and other assorted items to support minority entrepreneurs.

However, one table catches the eye of most Black children passing by. The booth, helmed by author Dayonne Richardson, proudly displays her two children’s books, with smiling illustrated Black kids on the covers.

One little girl approaches, points at one of the books and looks at her mother. Richardson, smiling, opens the book and asks the girl, “Would you like to read my story?”

For many Black children, the image of a book character who looks like them is a rare sight.

But Richardson is part of a growing number of local self-published Black authors looking to change the narrative and tackle the issue of representation in the children’s book industry. They create stories with characters who allow Black children to finally see themselves.

“It is so powerful to have a child look at the book and say that character looks like me. We need to show our kids that they exist in the literature,” she says.

She, along with other local Black children’s book authors, feels a responsibility to be at the forefront of writing literature that mirrors the issues of the children in their community because those stories can’t be left for outsiders to tell. While much of children’s literature deals in magic and adventures through fantasy, many Black children’s books deal with grounded, real-life issues told in a digestible manner for kids.

“I think we are writing about our reality and what we experience. Sometimes we go through things, and we have a hard time putting things in words especially to convey to kids,” says Richardson. “We don’t really talk about stress, loss, anxiety and how kids are feeling about things. We have to teach children about heavy stuff quick. But we still have to deliver the message in a way that allows a child to still be a kid.”

A handful of local Black authors have found success through major children’s publishing houses, most notably illustrator Shane Evans, who has teamed with actor Taye Diggs on a number of children’s books featuring Black and mixed characters. And Macmillan published “A Blade So Black,” Elle McKinney’s young adult novel with a Black Alice in Wonderland.

But most new local writers have to forge their own path.

Richardson, a teacher for the past decade, always knew her future would be intertwined with children and education.

“I knew I would be a teacher since I was a kid. My mom was a Sunday school teacher, and I would see her teach and plan her lessons and wanted to be creative with education,” says Richardson. “Growing up, I had teachers who saw something in me; without them, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.”

Teaching third and fourth grade reading and writing at Hogan Preparatory Academy, Richardson became well acquainted with the books Black children had at their disposal. A study by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center in 2019 reported that only 11.9% of children’s books feature Black main characters. By comparison, 41.8% of books star white kids, and 29.2% feature animal/other. Other minority groups fare even worse.

“I realized that most of my students aren’t reflected in the books I was reading. I was working at a school that was 98% African American. I started thinking back to my childhood and couldn’t remember being exposed to characters who looked like me,” she says.

Richardson set out on a personal journey to be the change she wanted to see on bookshelves. For her first book, she wanted to create a story about family, faith and the courage to face the unknown. She began to mold a talke around a young Black boy named Emery. The character is based on Richardson’s nephew and deals with an experience of overcoming his fear of thunderstorms.

“I Told The Storm” was released in 2020. Richardson enlisted St. Louis illustrator BriLynn McNeal for the artwork and self-published through Book Mobile Printing.

But efore she could reach that point, Richardson, unsure where to turn and unaware of the process of publishing a book, sought advice. While meeting with her instructional coach Joycelyn Strickland-Egans, she learned that Strickland-Egans was also an author passionate about writing children’s books geared at closing the divide. Strickland-Egans was able to give the complex information that she had learned through years of trial and error.

Strickland-Egans, also a Kansas City, Kansas, native, had always dreamed of writing her own series of faith-based children’s books. After pitching several to big-name publishers with no one interested, she put her writing aside and focused on her day job. But eight years later, she self-published her “A Sunday Kind of Joy” series.

“The time is right, and the time is now. It is a lot more accessible for us to get our work published. That world was closed to us for a long time. The big publishing companies weren’t interested in these stories,” says Strickland-Egans.

With an impressive 35 years in the education field and working as an instructional coach for the Kansas City, Kansas School District, she has now released 12 books. Being able to pass on the knowledge she acquired showed Strickland-Egans that teaching comes in all forms, and not always inside a classroom.

“She (Richardson) was so excited to learn and willing to listen. I absolutely love her book and the message,” says Strickland-Egans. “We have to encourage and lift one another up. We are now starting to see a network of local Black authors on the Kansas and Missouri sides.”

She says some parents aren’t fans of the religious themes in her stories about a little girl named Joy who implements lessons she learns from faith. But the books are available through the Kansas City Public Library.

Richardson, who has become a constant sight at Black vendor fairs, has made it a point to be where the families are and loves seeing children stop to take an interest in a book and want to read. Last month, she was one of many Black authors who spoke at the Mid-Continent Public Library authors fair.

After the success of her first book, she released “Our Gift Grace,” dedicated to her niece. This second book deals with the hassles of being a younger sister and getting along with siblings.

Though things have become easier with her second self-published book, Richardson still finds herself a constant student learning new ways of not only being an effective writer but also a marketer. Richardson now, in addition to her books, has a variety of merchandise to accompany her series, including T-shirts, stickers, buttons and even plush dolls. For her, though, the story has just begun.

As Richardson’s books reach more of her target audience and sales continue to rise, the Kansas City, Kansas, native’s commitment is only reinforced.

With the growing number of Black authors in the KC area, Richardson now offers new writers the same assistance she once received. She became a resource for Crystal Everett, a 35-year-old Lincoln Preparatory Academy graduate who released her first children’s book this year. “Mari and Mommy Move It” is dedicated to her 5-year-old daughter, Mari.

Everett wanted to create a love letter to her child’s passion for dancing.

“I was inspired by my daughter and just reading books to her at bedtime. I have always loved writing, and becoming a mom for the first time, I wanted to make something she could look back on as a celebration of her love of dancing and music,” says Everett.

After a two-year process from writing to publishing, Everett released the book this year. For the mother of one, the book is an instructional guide for parents to get their children to open up and explore the joys of staying active and allowing children to just play and have a good time.

For Everett, the book and her writing were a passion project. She did not expect to get rich. Her mission is to encourage parents to take risks and create something that may help not only their children but other children as well.

Everett has made it a point to provide the book free of charge to classrooms around the metro, including her daughter’s class. Seeing first-time authors like Richardson showed Everett that it is not only possible, but there is a market for it.

“It is very encouraging to see her success and the brand she is building around her books. A lot of time, people have these ideas, but they never act on them. Sometimes people just need to see someone doing it to know you can too,” says Everett.

Richardson and this new class of up-and-coming self-published authors are making an impact on the community and receiving the support they dreamed of.

At the December vendor event sponsored by GIFT (Generating Income For Tomorrow), Richardson sold over 30 copies of her books and several dolls of her Emery and Grace characters.

Rochelle Hall of Kansas City bought a book and a doll for her daughter Layla.

“With my daughter being 1 now, I am always on the lookout for children’s books that tell stories with a purpose,” says Hall. “I think it is good to have African American authors to represent the community, and being here personally so we can connect is great.”

For other Kansas City self-published Black children’s book authors, check out:

Christle Reed, “Hugs From the Sky”

Nikiyah Crosdale, “The Thought Jar”

Tiffany D. Taylor, “2 Halves Make Me Whole”

C. L. Fails, “Ella” book series