03: Asmaa Walton and the Black Art Library on Children’s Books
My name is Asmaa Walton and I’m the founder of the Black Art Library. I recently created a list of all the children’s books I have been collecting for the library so I could share it with teachers, parents, and really anyone who was interested. Children’s books have been some of my favorite to collect because I’m drawn to the illustrations!
All of the books are about Black artists or were created by Black artists. Every book I added to the list was wonderful but I will give some short reviews on a few of them!
Bronzeville Boys and Girls
By Gwendolyn Brooks and illustrated by Faith Ringgold
Ages 7-10
This book is honestly great for not only kids but kids at heart! I loved reading it so much. It is a collection of poems that tells the stories of different boys and girls in Bronzeville. This illustrations are by Faith Ringgold and they are fantastic.
Jacob Lawrence: In the City
By Susan Goldman Rubin
Ages 2-4
This one is a board book for younger children and it is one of the only board books I’ve come across about a Black artist so I think it’s very special. Jacob Lawrence’s paintings illustrate a bustling city for the young readers.
American Struggle: Teens Respond to Jacob Lawrence
Edited by Chul R. Kim
This is one that I didn’t put on the list because it’s one of the few YA books that I have. In this book multiple teens share their perspectives on the timeless work of Jacob Lawrence. This is a really unique book to me but it is not often that we’re able to hear from teens about how art speaks to them.
Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
Ages 6-9
By Javaka Steptoe
The illustrations in this book are so beautiful. It takes us through a young Jean-Michel’s journey to becoming an artist and we’re introduce to members of his family and the roles they played in introducing him to art. It’s a great story.
– Asmaa Walton
Asmaa Walton is a Detroit native and the founder of the Black Art Library. The Black Art Library is a collection of books she began curating on Black visual arts in early 2020. The goal is to turn this collection of books to a non-lending library in Detroit to be an educational resource for the Black community and beyond.
Asmaa has an MA in Arts Politics from New York University and a BFA in Arts Education from Michigan State University. She is currently finishing up as the 2019-20 Romare Bearden Graduate Museum Fellow at the St. Louis Art Museum.
