KIDS’ BOOKS, DEEP THOUGHTS
Byrd’s books for kids get them laughing, learning and loving their heritage
Jesse Byrd’s life is the stuff of storybooks. The youngster with dual loves of reading and basketball grew up — and up and up, until he was 6-foot-8 — and went away to college to earn a degree and play basketball. A few years into a successful Silicon Valley career, he quit to follow his heart and write children’s books. Byrd’s award-winning “King Penguin” was followed by three picture books, “Sunny Days,” “Real Jungle Tales” and “Dream Catcher.”
A We lived in a small, two-bedroom apartment in Oakland, and the biggest thing in my room was the book collection. My mom was a stickler for collecting children’s picture books that featured African Americans and Africans in a positive light. She got me an entire nonfiction Black history collection at 4 years old highlighting people like Harriet Tubman, Nat Turner, W.E.B. Dubois, Frederick Douglass and more.
The rule was: I could play whatever game I wanted so long as I read for 20 minutes a day.
Q What tips do you have for parents who want to instill a love of reading?
Q How did you get hooked on reading?
A I do believe the first rule of writing is to engage the audience. It doesn’t need to be slapstick or silly all the time, but it should be something readers want to reach for again. Sometimes, in the noble effort to “pack in the vitamins,” we can forget that simply developing a love for reading in a child is a major accomplishment. While it’s essential to have books that inform kids about important figures, causes and issues, books that simply make them giggle hold tremendous value.
Q Is there a philosophy that guides your writing?
A The mandatory ingredient for every children’s story I create is authentic diversity. Since less than 50 percent of children’s books in 2019 featuring Black characters were actually written/ illustrated by a Black person, there is a ton of work to do in this industry to avoid appropriation and misrepresentation.
Looking in the mirror, I certainly don’t want to be a part of doing this to other marginalized communities by thinking that I, as one Black man, can speak to every diverse experience. Although no group is a monolith, if I represent a certain community on the page, someone of that lived experience must be an essential part of the book’s creative development.
Q Are the overriding themes of 2020 likely to find their way into your books?
A Yes! There are picture-book scripts around social justice that I’m passionate about. One is a journey in verse between a Black father and son as they explore what’s changed, what hasn’t and what’s only changed a little regarding progress on social justice and equality. Plus, what’s at stake for us, as people, if we choose to ignore/invalidate the humanity and equality of everyone.