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Representation matters, and Black children deserve to see positive representations of themselves, their identities, and their communities in the books they read.
Growing up, it was a Saturday ritual for my mother to take me to the library. It was something I looked forward to, spending time with my mother and having a world of books to choose from.
I also remember how difficult it was to find books with Black children. There may have been a few, but for the most part, none with rich stories for me to identify with. So, I had to place myself into stories that weren’t necessarily for me and use my imagination.
But finding one representative story is not enough. In a 2009 TED Talk that’s been viewed over 30 million times, Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie talked about the danger of a single story. She tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.
When children don’t regularly see an accurate representation of themselves, it sends to them a powerful and harmful message that they do not belong. If children aren’t able to find themselves reflected in the stories they read or when the images they see are not authentic, they learn a lesson in how they will be perceived in the world. Black children need to see their real lives on the page; their families and culture.
I was excited to find out that Adichie was publishing her debut children’s picture book, Mama’s Sleeping Scarf, a story about a little girl’s love for her mother’s scarf, and the adventures she shares with it and her whole family.
Adichie wrote this story for her daughter and as the daughter of Grace and James, her late mother and father. This is why the book is published under the name Nwa Grace James. She wanted to honor the relationship with her daughter as well as honor her parents, whom she lost recently.
This is an adorable book with beautifully-colored illustrations by Joelle Avelino, a Congolese and Angloan illustrator. The story is about Chino and her mama’s soft, silky scarf. For little Chino, the scarf is like a piece of her mama that she can hold onto throughout the day while Mama is at work. Chino plays with the scarf as any typical young child would. The green fabric with “big red circles” and “little blue circles” can be a blanket for Bunny, a curtain to play peekaboo, and a scarf for Chino, which she wears at dinner when Mama comes home.
Throughout the day, Chino plays games, eats snacks, and exercises with her papa, grandpa, grandma, and Bunny. The scarf serves as a connection. This comes to life when grandma ties the scarf around Chino’s head and tells her, “Now you look just like Mama.”
Finally, the scarf returns to Mama at bedtime. Mama has long, beautiful braids that she has to keep tight. This book rolls through the typical day of a fun-loving family from morning until bedtime, and Adichie has a wonderful way of emitting a fun and warm impression on the reader.
What I love is that Avelino’s illustrations depict a family with a range of skin tones and hair colors, which is a refreshing reflection of the true diversity of the Black community. Bright backgrounds with repeating circular patterns feature various shapes and colors while placing the focus on Chino’s relationships with the people she loves most. The straightforward text lingers on each scene, inviting children to dwell in Chino’s world.
Reading this story made me think about how the smallest thing, like a piece of cloth, can do big things for a child. I don’t know about you, but my mother had a couple of items of clothing that I associated with her. I can’t say that I used them to feel closer to her when she would leave, but I do understand little Chino’s bond with her mother.
Chino’s mother must have her sleeping scarf, with its bold colors and circles “to keep her hair soft and nice.” Chino loves that scarf almost as much as her mama, as it gives her comfort. When Mama must leave for work, Chino worries that she won’t come back. Most children can relate to this, as they don’t want to see Mama go. Chino’s mama knew that something so special to her would be just the thing to refocus her child’s fears.
Overall, this is such a sweet story about worries and adventures, along with routines and family. Mama’s Sleeping Scarf shows how the smallest things are connected, how a family relates to one another, and more importantly, how Mama always comes back home.
I give this book a 5/5 stars. It is a celebration of everyday Black family life.
Mama’s Sleeping Scarf is available September 5 everywhere books are sold. Please consider purchasing from Bookshop.org which helps indie bookstores compete online and maintain their presence in local communities.
Representation matters, and Black children deserve to see positive representations of themselves, their identities, and their communities in the books they read.
Growing up, it was a Saturday ritual for my mother to take me to the library. It was something I looked forward to, spending time with my mother and having a world of books to choose from.
I also remember how difficult it was to find books with Black children. There may have been a few, but for the most part, none with rich stories for me to identify with. So, I had to place myself into stories that weren’t necessarily for me and use my imagination.
But finding one representative story is not enough. In a 2009 TED Talk that’s been viewed over 30 million times, Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie talked about the danger of a single story. She tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.
When children don’t regularly see an accurate representation of themselves, it sends to them a powerful and harmful message that they do not belong. If children aren’t able to find themselves reflected in the stories they read or when the images they see are not authentic, they learn a lesson in how they will be perceived in the world. Black children need to see their real lives on the page; their families and culture.
I was excited to find out that Adichie was publishing her debut children’s picture book, Mama’s Sleeping Scarf, a story about a little girl’s love for her mother’s scarf, and the adventures she shares with it and her whole family.
Adichie wrote this story for her daughter and as the daughter of Grace and James, her late mother and father. This is why the book is published under the name Nwa Grace James. She wanted to honor the relationship with her daughter as well as honor her parents, whom she lost recently.
This is an adorable book with beautifully-colored illustrations by Joelle Avelino, a Congolese and Angloan illustrator. The story is about Chino and her mama’s soft, silky scarf. For little Chino, the scarf is like a piece of her mama that she can hold onto throughout the day while Mama is at work. Chino plays with the scarf as any typical young child would. The green fabric with “big red circles” and “little blue circles” can be a blanket for Bunny, a curtain to play peekaboo, and a scarf for Chino, which she wears at dinner when Mama comes home.
Throughout the day, Chino plays games, eats snacks, and exercises with her papa, grandpa, grandma, and Bunny. The scarf serves as a connection. This comes to life when grandma ties the scarf around Chino’s head and tells her, “Now you look just like Mama.”
Finally, the scarf returns to Mama at bedtime. Mama has long, beautiful braids that she has to keep tight. This book rolls through the typical day of a fun-loving family from morning until bedtime, and Adichie has a wonderful way of emitting a fun and warm impression on the reader.
What I love is that Avelino’s illustrations depict a family with a range of skin tones and hair colors, which is a refreshing reflection of the true diversity of the Black community. Bright backgrounds with repeating circular patterns feature various shapes and colors while placing the focus on Chino’s relationships with the people she loves most. The straightforward text lingers on each scene, inviting children to dwell in Chino’s world.
Reading this story made me think about how the smallest thing, like a piece of cloth, can do big things for a child. I don’t know about you, but my mother had a couple of items of clothing that I associated with her. I can’t say that I used them to feel closer to her when she would leave, but I do understand little Chino’s bond with her mother.
Chino’s mother must have her sleeping scarf, with its bold colors and circles “to keep her hair soft and nice.” Chino loves that scarf almost as much as her mama, as it gives her comfort. When Mama must leave for work, Chino worries that she won’t come back. Most children can relate to this, as they don’t want to see Mama go. Chino’s mama knew that something so special to her would be just the thing to refocus her child’s fears.
Overall, this is such a sweet story about worries and adventures, along with routines and family. Mama’s Sleeping Scarf shows how the smallest things are connected, how a family relates to one another, and more importantly, how Mama always comes back home.
I give this book a 5/5 stars. It is a celebration of everyday Black family life.
Mama’s Sleeping Scarf is available September 5 everywhere books are sold. Please consider purchasing from Bookshop.org which helps indie bookstores compete online and maintain their presence in local communities.
Are you ready for MORTAL KOMBAAAAT? We certainly hope so. And if not, you’d better prepare yourself because a brand new Mortal Kombat game, Mortal Kombat 1, is heading our way on September 19. Mortal Kombat 1 promises to create “a new era of the iconic franchise with a new fighting system, game modes, and fatalities.” But as we look to the franchise’s future, it’s also a good time to relive the past. The latest trailer for Mortal Kombat 1 has a treat for old-school fans of the game. It homages a 1993 TV commercial, known as “Mortal Monday,” that was released to hype Mortal Kombat‘s original console outing. Let’s take a walk down Mortal Kombat memory lane below.
First up is the most recent Mortal Kombat 1 trailer. We must say, yelling/whispering Mortal Kombat over and over again is honestly a very effective mechanism to get you to remember the game is coming soon. Of course, this new version of the nostalgic “Mortal Monday” trailer also features Dave Bautista for some extra star power. Why not? Bautista says of participating in the trailer, “I vividly remember the original Mortal Monday commercial, especially the iconic scream… That’s what started my journey as a fan of Mortal Kombat, which continues to this day 30 years later. I’m very thrilled and honored to be a part of the game’s legacy.”
The Mortal Kombat 1‘s trailer description further offers, “It’s In Our Blood. Discover a reborn Mortal Kombat Universe created by Fire God Liu Kang. Mortal Kombat 1 ushers in a new era of the iconic franchise with a new fighting system, game modes, and Fatalities!”
Meanwhile, the original “Mortal Monday” ad really takes us back to the ’90s. They just don’t make campy commercials like they used to. Still, we applaud the Mortal Kombat 1 trailer for trying to recapture the nostalgic magic of this 1993 TV spot. We see at the end that the ad promises Mortal Kombat will release on Genesis, Super NES, Game Gear, and Game Boy. Those are some worthy consoles, for sure. And, of course, the “Mortal Monday” commercial offers the signature “Mortal Kombat” scream, which still gives long-time fans chills.
Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon notes more about this Mortal Kombat walk down memory lane. He notes, “The original Mortal Monday commercial earmarked the beginning of our journey into making games for home gaming system… It’s amazing to pay homage to such a memorable moment in Mortal Kombat history as we get ready to launch our newest game, Mortal Kombat 1.”
It’s 30 years later and we’re still screaming for Mortal Kombat. Mortal Kombat 1 will release on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch on September 19.
The post MORTAL KOMBAT 1 Trailer Homages Iconic 1993 TV Commerical appeared first on Nerdist.
Star Wars marks years according to when the Rebels blew up the first Death Star. Anything that happened before is designates as BBY, Before the Battle of Yavin. ABY is anything after. But while we know the franchise’s latest installment, Ahsoka, takes place in roughly 10 ABY, galactic years are not the only way to keep track time in the galaxy far, far away. There are also distinct time periods. Now, with so many shows set during different ones, Star Wars has given us an updated account of all its eras, each with an official logo.
While this list will help every viewer know what stories define what eras, Knights of the Old Republic video game fans will have some questions… and probably some complaints.
Star Wars has provided a new classifications of nine distinct eras “defined along a mythological timeline giving context to its past, present, and future.” Most of these take place in a condensed century of events featuring the Skywalker family, but the list covers tens of thousands of years in total. The eras include:
- Dawn of the Jedi
- The Old Republic
- The High Republic
- Fall of the Jedi
- Reign of the Empire
- Age of Rebellion
- The New Republic
- Rise of the First Order
- New Jedi Order
If anyone was unsure where the Old Republic sits in history relative to the High Republic, this list clarifies that. The Old Republic is far, far back in the galaxy’s past. (Before the Outer Rims became a problem for everyone.) But that era’s official stories does not include the Knights of the Old Republic video games, even though other eras include some games set during their time periods. For example, Vader Immortal is officially part of the Reign of the Empire.
Does that mean Knights of the Old Republic games are not canon? Or simply that this list only covers what Lucasfilm deems the most important chapters in each era’s story? Anytime Star Wars provides answers we walk away with all new questions. And that’s true of any year in any time period.
The post Lucasfilm Shares New Official STAR WARS Eras List appeared first on Nerdist.