Does it matter that little Tony is black?

revna01 · Post by **revna01** » 29 Jul 2018, 15:54

I think it's just a simple story about a little boy helping out and being a superhero in his mom's eyes (and, as an extension, his eyes). I believe the intended message is that one doesn't have to do world-changing deeds to be extraordinary. For me, and hopefully others, race plays no part in this story whatsoever.

kfwilson6 · Post by **kfwilson6** » 29 Jul 2018, 17:30

Supergirl1 wrote: ↑13 Jul 2018, 03:32 These racial distinctions are things adults do. Children do not really care about race or color, they all play together! Children of other races who have never seen a black person might be fascinated that Toni doesn’t look like them, but in today’s diverse society, that is rare. Watching children at play, one would realize they care more about who is kind and who is mean, and Toni is definitely a kind, happy little boy.

I love the way you described how kids play with each other as long as they are kind. I think that is absolutely true. There is so much diversity in the way people look, it's not even easy to say that kid is brown or white. Skin colors are quite varied and so are other features. Children don't even know what it really means to look different.

kfwilson6 · Post by **kfwilson6** » 29 Jul 2018, 17:34

MsLisa wrote: ↑22 Jul 2018, 11:35 I don't think it needed to get that complicated in the analysis and I don't believe those were the intentions of the author.

Agreed. I've really been kind of cringing over the existence of this question because now we are focusing on this issue so much in this thread. I truly never thought about what color Toni is or his friends or family members. And, I'm glad to say that, because it's not so ingrained in me to notice something like that.

tarafarah7 · Post by **tarafarah7** » 29 Jul 2018, 20:11

I wrote in my review that in our world today, there is a pressing need for more diverse literature, children's books on up. Toni being black, in my eyes, is viewed nothing but positive. I'm thrilled that children in school (or home) have access to Toni the Superhero! Without hesitation, I'd recommend that parents and teachers everywhere add it to their home and/or school libraries.

tarafarah7 · Post by **tarafarah7** » 29 Jul 2018, 20:20

I don't think he is going to become an actual kid superhero...as for the "superhero" name or role he plays, I feel that he is a role model to kids, and that is heroic...super-heroic! Kids love "super-everything." They will want to be just like Toni (or so that is the hope). They, too, will want to be super-healthy, super-helpful, super-fun, super-social, and super-responsible. Being that the intended audience is so very young still, I feel the word super is a perfect choice.

Ronel_Steyn · Post by **Ronel_Steyn** » 30 Jul 2018, 08:17

I live in South Africa... I'm white and to me Toni's skin colour made absolutely no difference to the story. I loved it. My son loved it. That was what mattered.

JideOla123 · Post by **JideOla123** » 30 Jul 2018, 08:39

Actually,it does not matter if Tony Boy is black or not, most super power hero are usually black because of what they entail. And also the source of their power
Determines their complexion.

Ashiyya Tariq · Post by **Ashiyya Tariq** » 30 Jul 2018, 10:24

Miriam Molina wrote: ↑01 Jul 2018, 06:29 Some reviews of this book are actually comparing Toni to T'Challa of Black Panther fame. I say it's about time we shatter the myth of white superheroes.

This book has shattered the myth that superhero can only be a white. I take Toni's ordinary tasks as distinctive as many superheroes we usually see do some exceptional tasks which others can't do.

Ashiyya Tariq · Post by **Ashiyya Tariq** » 30 Jul 2018, 10:38

tarafarah7 wrote: ↑29 Jul 2018, 20:11 I wrote in my review that in our world today, there is a pressing need for more diverse literature, children's books on up. Toni being black, in my eyes, is viewed nothing but positive. I'm thrilled that children in school (or home) have access to Toni the Superhero! Without hesitation, I'd recommend that parents and teachers everywhere add it to their home and/or school libraries.

You are right, racial, ethnical and religious differences have increased much more. Bloody wars in different regions around the globe is the ample proof of this. And children are a most vulnerable segment of a society as they are affected the most. So it's a good effort by the author to eliminate these differences in the innocent minds of children.

Ashiyya Tariq · Post by **Ashiyya Tariq** » 30 Jul 2018, 11:19

JideOla123 wrote: ↑30 Jul 2018, 08:39 Actually,it does not matter if Tony Boy is black or not, most super power hero are usually black because of what they entail. And also the source of their power
Determines their complexion.

I think you are the only one who is saying at most of the superheroes are black, whereas other consider that most of them are white. However I tend to agree that superhero qualities are not determined by complexions.

Ashiyya Tariq · Post by **Ashiyya Tariq** » 30 Jul 2018, 11:25

SABRADLEY wrote: ↑29 Jul 2018, 15:54 I think it's just a simple story about a little boy helping out and being a superhero in his mom's eyes (and, as an extension, his eyes). I believe the intended message is that one doesn't have to do world-changing deeds to be extraordinary. For me, and hopefully others, race plays no part in this story whatsoever.

I feel this too. If we put a book in front of a child, it is rare that he will notice the black complexions of a superhero. Rather in first glance he will focus on looking colourful illustrations.

Ashiyya Tariq · Post by **Ashiyya Tariq** » 30 Jul 2018, 11:32

tarafarah7 wrote: ↑29 Jul 2018, 20:20 I don't think he is going to become an actual kid superhero...as for the "superhero" name or role he plays, I feel that he is a role model to kids, and that is heroic...super-heroic! Kids love "super-everything." They will want to be just like Toni (or so that is the hope). They, too, will want to be super-healthy, super-helpful, super-fun, super-social, and super-responsible. Being that the intended audience is so very young still, I feel the word super is a perfect choice.

Children tend to be curious by nature and they love admiration and motivation by someone. So if we call them superheroes and celebrate their little accomplishments, they will certainly consider their self a superhero.

Ashiyya Tariq · Post by **Ashiyya Tariq** » 30 Jul 2018, 11:37

dbulkley wrote: ↑26 Jul 2018, 20:26 Diversity is important in all stories. I understand how kids could label stereotypes to certain races/cultures, but it is necessary for characters to be different. This is a way for parents/teachers to make their kids more knowledgable on the importance of treating everyone equally.

I love this book because it breaks the stereotypes and racial intolerance, which is a dire need in today's world.

Dolor · Post by **Dolor** » 30 Jul 2018, 21:40

It doesn't matter that Toni is black while the legend superheroes were white. This doesn't mean that little black kids can only do ordinary things like helping their mother, sweeping the floor or dusting the furniture. The story eliminates the "color" or racial issue in children by making Toni a black superhero instead of a white one. At young age, children should be taught that skin colors are just on the outside and what matters most is the character of a person.

Cristina Chifane · Post by **Cristina Chifane** » 31 Jul 2018, 01:35

Katherine Smith wrote: ↑01 Jul 2018, 13:32 I think that having a black superhero that does ordinary things shows that we are all the same. I think that with each new book Tony will develop more powers which can help more people. I think that the myth of the white superheros revolves around the myth that only white people can help others when that is not true.

I guess your idea is that Toni already shows some superpowers by behaving kindly and helping around the house. Otherwise, the only superpower Toni has in the first book of the series is his ability to fly. The problem is not that we are not the same. I was thinking of the idea of representation. When I mentioned the myth of the white superheroes, I had in mind the high level of representation of white people endowed with extraordinary skills, power, etc.