Diversity in Kids’ Books: Author Q&A with Miriam Shumba

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I recently posted a list of Spanish Kid’s Books about Tolerance and Diversity, but I wanted to dive deeper into the subject. So I asked author and fellow teacher, Miriam Shumba, for her take on the need for diversity in kids’ books. 

Shumba moved to the US from Zimbabwe, is an award-winning author, elementary school teacher, and founded the AuthorKid Program (a writing program for kids). The sum of which gives her a unique and well-rounded perspective on the state of diversity in kids’ books.

Shumba and I met while teaching at an elementary school in Texas—a few years before she published her first kids’ book, The Warrior and Princess of Dreams. Her beaming positivity and passion for writing and teaching have left a lasting mark on me. So when I asked if she would like to participate in an interview for Bilingually Yours about diversity in kids’ books, I was both thrilled and honored she said yes. Her answers to my questions are insightful, inspiring, and thought-provoking. 

Author Q&A With Miriam Shumba and the Need for Diversity in Kids’ Books

What inspired you to tell the story of The Warrior and Princess of Dreams?

I created this story after I realized that there were no African princesses anywhere. 

The idea came from the dreams I had as a child. The strangest thing would happen, I would have a bad dream and tell myself to wake up. Then I would see myself wake up and go to the kitchen, only to find I was still dreaming. I wondered, “What would happen if a princess got caught up in this kind of dream world?” and The Warrior and Princess of Dreams was born.  

The story comes from Zimbabwe. What makes this such a culturally significant story? What themes does it teach us?

This story teaches us a fascinating history of the mysterious [and abandoned castle and Kingdom of] Zimbabwe. Up to this day, no one really knows why the Kingdom was deserted, but the findings show that African communities were so much more advanced than is shown in history books. I felt compelled to create a story about a made-up family that lived there. I wanted to make it as authentic as possible and researched the customs of the day, their daily lives, and costumes. It was interesting to read different theories about the abandoned kingdom. 

The story itself teaches us about love, sacrifice, and determination. 

Can you talk about the AuthorKid Program? 

The AuthorKid Program is designed for young children who would like to master writing, and possibly become published authors. Either online or in-person, young writers get a step by step guide, they are taught formulas and the structure of writing, while also learning the flowery aspects that make writing magical. 

When done right, children see that there are building blocks to great writing and fun and exciting ways to make that writing captivating. Children can learn everything they need for academic success in writing in one place. Moreover, this program is perfect for parents who want to teach their kids. It has helped hundreds of children, who were once terrified of writing, to fall in love with the art. 

How do you feel that children’s stories featuring young children of color and/or from different cultures have fared in the US?

As a teacher, I often struggle to find books of diverse cultures, especially those that engage children quickly. In the past two years, I am happy to see an increase in books and I usually celebrate such findings on social media. However, the increase is still just a drop in the ocean. It’s still a struggle to find quality books of diverse cultures, especially those that appeal to children. As advanced as the US is in technology and other areas, this area is sadly very lacking. 

What are your thoughts on the fairy tales and folktales that many American children have grown up with? (Like Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, etc.)  Are they sending the right message about gender roles, race, and diversity in kids’ books? 

I grew up reading these fairy tales, and back then I had no idea that they were affecting how I viewed myself and the world. They showed princesses of one culture, and girls as damsels in distress, waiting to be rescued. 

As the world keeps changing, we are now at a time where women can get themselves out of sticky situations and be heroes too. I think we need to represent all types of tales that show girls and boys doing things that are not traditionally done. 

I don’t mind seeing a princess being rescued in a book, but I also want to see her save a village. In other words, I want variety, not the same story and the same characters and cultures. Our children deserve that. 

Is there a ‘right way’ or a ‘wrong way’ to include more diverse children’s book literature in our kids’ libraries? 

There are books that teach diversity and then there are books that represent different cultures from the ‘norm’—which is Eurocentric cultures, known as “white” in our current world. 

Separate Is Never Equal is a beautiful book [that teaches diversity] by Duncan Tonatiuh. This book tells about a [Mexican-American] young girl who spoke perfect English but was not allowed to go to a white school. Similar to Ruby Bridges’ story, [she] won a case against the school board. This book teaches that refusing diversity is a crime that people need to be taken to court for. 

So, this book is for children and there is a place for books like that. 

Do you see a downside to books like that?

These kinds of books usually contain very traumatic events that do sadly happen and are the reality of too many children’s lives. 

However, if white children read those books, they see themselves as evil and see other cultures as ‘less than’ or ‘easy prey.’ African Americans and Hispanics reading about themselves view themselves as ‘prey’ and ‘victims.’ 

If they read enough literature like that children internalize feelings of hopelessness and inferiority. Those issues are real, and they are there. 

The way I believe is best, is to present literature about diverse characters and funny, adventurous, interesting stories that engage all students without harming them.

Can you suggest a book that does just that? Features a main character of color but doesn’t speak to his or her race?

A good book that has an African American character but doesn’t mention anything about race is The Hula-Hoopin’ Queen by Thelma Lynne Godin and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton. It’s just a little African American girl who loves to hoop and forgets her errands. Nothing traumatizing, just a good story that all children can enjoy. And a child who isn’t African American can see another little girl having fun, just like she does.

I think we need to see [children of color] being heroes, having fun, and being children. [Instead of being] involved in adult problems and atrocities. Those books are off-putting to every child because it’s too depressing to see other cultures always being victimized, marginalized, put down, and oppressed. We eventually want children to learn about the sad and horrible facts from history, but not [too] early on. 

Let children be children, and accept those that are different (not feel sorry for them, want to rescue them, or think they are ‘less than’).

It’s a way of thinking that many may not agree with. Some adults think that children need to know all the atrocities [early on] when I think [children] need to be protected. 

As an author, teacher, and mother, do you feel like we are doing enough to educate our kids on tolerance, diversity, and race? 

The curriculum is not handling this very well and this all goes back to the way history books are written, usually by one group of people, showing only their point of view. 

Some school districts do include some topics [about civil rights leaders] in social studies. But there is more that needs to be processed and I think it’s too much for young grades to deal with. 

I believe we can teach about tolerance and diversity in a fun way (which I haven’t yet developed and am yet to find). Now is the time to come up with strategies that don’t do more damage than good. My belief is to let children be children, let them enjoy books, and not feel small and hurt and angry after learning. 

You have the experience of being both a teacher and an immigrant to the US. This means you have had exposure to more culturally diverse stories that you can use in your classroom and with your son. But many Americans don’t have that exposure, money, or access to such a rich cultural library. How do you suggest they find diverse kids’ books? 

I’ll be honest, finding the right diverse stories is the biggest problem right now. I struggle with finding books for all children. Though I grew up in Zimbabwe, our books were not diverse. We read books by British and American authors, and our history books were written from the British point of view.  The only great thing is that our lives were our lives and I can bring that experience to the table. 

I have tried writing to different publishers, and even tried to bring attention to the lack of diversity to big booksellers, but I haven’t had much of a response. 

Right now, my son and I are writing some books that we are both enjoying tremendously. I hope that we can get them to as many people [as possible]. 

I’ve discussed using kids’ books to start the conversation around diversity, tolerance, and race. But what else should we be doing? Where do we go from here?

I definitely think books are the most important avenue to bring acceptance of all people. Now we need to tackle the biggest damaging machine, the media. The media and movies all have so much power to depict different cultures in certain ways. The more you see a certain group being treated like animals and the other like angels, the more everyone begins to believe it. 

Stereotypes are what the media and movies portray and that needs to change. I think we need to speak out and ask for more diverse content that celebrates everyone, not just one culture. 

The world is beautiful, colorful, and amazing and we need to celebrate all those beautiful races that live here. 

Any last thoughts about diversity in kids’ books that you would like to add? 

If you walk into a book store, there should be books with every single culture for everybody to read. If you turn on the TV you should see all cultures portrayed in a positive light more than the negative. If you listen to the news, you should see atrocities done by all, not just one group. 

Children are born loving every creature and every child they come in contact with. I think parents can start by showing them that it’s normal to have diverse characters in books. It’s normal for all children to do incredibly amazing, funny, heroic, and exceptional things. So, it all starts in the home, then school, then the rest of the world. 

Miriam Shumba fell in love with writing at around 9 years of age by creating comic books for herself to read, and then writing stories for her friends to enjoy in high school. In college, she won a writing competition run by Mahogany, a local magazine, and began writing short stories for several magazines thereafter. 

Over the years, she has written several adult novel publications, That Which Has Horns, Show Me The Sun, and the award-winning inspirational fiction novel, Chasing. 

For children she wrote, The Warrior and Princess of Dreams both in English and Spanish. She has also created a writing program, AuthorKid, and published two writing mastery books for the program. 

She continues to teach elementary school, write, and coach other aspiring writers as well.  She enjoys reading, playing tennis, and spending time with friends and family.