Does it matter that little Tony is black?

[Cristina Chifane]

To be honest I think so, Toni being black is important because because little children of colour don't have a lot of literature to fall back on, and we all know its easier to see yourself in a superhero if they look like you, but I'm also a bit on the fence that teaching children about colour very young might be bad, what'd you think?

I think diversity is important and I am glad Toni is a boy of colour. I also think children begin to notice both the physical and psychological differences between themselves and the others at an early age. To answer your question, they notice the differences by themselves. What is important is what we teach them about these differences. If we teach them to respect others and find joy in diversity, then things are going to be just fine.

[Cristina Chifane]

To be honest I think so, Toni being black is important because because little children of colour don't have a lot of literature to fall back on, and we all know its easier to see yourself in a superhero if they look like you, but I'm also a bit on the fence that teaching children about colour very young might be bad, what'd you think?

I think it's nice to teach kids that they are all equal even if they look different. Maybe have more than just a discussion about color. Have a discussion about height, weight, hair color, etc as well. That way you don't emphasize that one thing that makes people different so they may be more inclined to see all differences but to treat all people as if they are valuable.

I'm going to ask you one question. You may find it odd, but it's also important. Why do people (mostly women) dye their hair? I think we are free to discuss anything we want and support our opinions with what we consider to be relevant arguments. If people had not considered this topic important or at least thought-provoking, they would not have answered or reacted in any way. They would have merely said: this question is not worth answering or thinking about.

[Cristina Chifane]

Toni being a black child would only matter to those who want that to matter to them. I know when I read I don't care what the race of a character is as long as there is a good story

Is there a good story in this case? What do you think?

[Cristina Chifane]

The question above is one that could go on forever. But I am quite sure that kids at this age may not that much discriminative since this is what they are exposed to even in the movies they watch back at home. It is important that they also learn to begin seeing all people as equal as it is.

I've recently read something interesting about the difference between "equality" and "equity". You may do a quick search for yourself and see what I mean.

[Cristina Chifane]

You should keep in mind that there are supposed to be more books about Toni. This isn't supposed to stand alone, and I think the main goal here is to point out that any kid can be a superhero while making Toni a superhero to look up to.

That's why I also wondered about the next books in the series.

[Cristina Chifane]

I think it all depends on how the readers choose to interpret the book to children. Kids at the stages identified for this book are really looking to the adults to help them understand the both importance of their personal heritage and how to interact with others. As an inter-racial family, we talk a lot about these racial differences, but we choose not to let them be the most important aspects of ourselves.

Thank you for your answer. I also think discussing things over is very important and makes things much easier.

[Cristina Chifane]

To be honest I think so, Toni being black is important because because little children of colour don't have a lot of literature to fall back on, and we all know its easier to see yourself in a superhero if they look like you, but I'm also a bit on the fence that teaching children about colour very young might be bad, what'd you think?

I think it's nice to teach kids that they are all equal even if they look different. Maybe have more than just a discussion about color. Have a discussion about height, weight, hair color, etc as well. That way you don't emphasize that one thing that makes people different so they may be more inclined to see all differences but to treat all people as if they are valuable.

Yeah that makes more sense, but that'll work better if the book wasn't just centered on one person, but I guess the other books in the series will come in handy here I hope.

I hope so too. You just gave me a suggestion for another question I could have asked. Is it a good idea to have books for children centered on one person only? Wouldn't this increase the child's selfishness especially since s/he already sees himself/herself at the centre of his/her little universe?

[Cristina Chifane]

It shouldn't matter but it seems it does or this would not be a forum topic with this much posts. Like Bookmermaid noticed such an innocuous characterization is beginning to become misunderstood. Well as we say in my corner of the world, such is life.

Such is life indeed. Thanks for your words. You can't imagine how much I wish I could still see the world through my idealist's eyes once again, but life insisted on teaching me differently. I'm still fighting to change the world, though. The difference is I force myself to be much more realistic now.

[Cristina Chifane]

I didn't even think of his color. I just thought of him as a kid. I feel that it's very sad that it is still an issue and that we need to discuss it.

I read through some reviews the other day and had been seeing the graphics for the book and colour (black or white) did not factor into any equation. I agree it is sad that colour is still an issue and is being discussed.

I've read some reviews too. In fact, the idea for the question came to me from one of these reviews. Check out some of the randomly selected quotations from the reviews:

"I must also salute Hefke for illustrating Toni as black. It’s a well-known fact that the children’s fiction genre is arguably the most lacking genre as far as diversity is concerned. So, books like Toni the Superhero are leading the change towards creating a space where every child will have an equal opportunity of interacting with characters like themselves in the books they read." (by Ever_Reading – 25 aprilie 2018)

"Toni is also a child of color and given the sparsity of books that show children of color this is significant." (by Sharman Dennis – 8 May 2018)

"In addition to the lesson that helping and doing chores is fun, I like that the hero in question is a boy of color. In a genre where the superheros have historically been fair-skinned, it's important for little African-American children to see heroes who look like themselves. Since Black Panther is making a splash at the box office, the timing is on-point for our little hero." (by MsTri – 4 iunie 2018)

"Toni was a child of colour and his friends were also of all different backgrounds. This representation, especially in a kid’s book, is absolutely wonderful as children feel good when reading about another child they can relate to or are similar to. Every child deserves to see themselves in their heroes or in their favourite characters, which is why representation, especially geared towards children of colour, is so important in children’s books." (by tanyass33 – 5 iulie 2018)

[Cristina Chifane]

I've been pretty courageous and straightforward in my life. I've paid the price for this, don't worry. Still, I don't seem to have learnt my lesson yet. By a strange coincidence, I am familiar with Alvin Toffler and I happen to have this book at home. I understand what you mean. However, we are both here on this forum, aren't we?

[Cristina Chifane]

The author says that this is the first book of an intended series where we will, in fact, see Toni have actual superpowers. I think it's great to see diversity in kids books!

I can't wait to see the next books in the series and some of Toni's superpowers.

[Cristina Chifane]

This is an interesting question! However, I feel like this is now up to the parents/people reading the book to the child in question. The adult is the one responsible for the education of the younger masses, aka creating a colourblind society, and it is important to start it young. In other words, the adult has to let the child know that doing your daily chores is also a form of superhero activity, and it is not in any form inferior to other children with "actual superhero powers" (whether white or not).

You're right! : it does not matter to me if little Toni is black or white. All I want is on how my kids enjoy the story.

Do you think they will enjoy this one?

[Cristina Chifane]

This question is very interesting. Being a superhero is a result of one possessing special characteristics and some measure of sacrifice. Anyone can be a superhero. I do not think it matters if Tony is black.

I also believe everyone can be a superhero. It depends on what each of us understands by the term.

[Cristina Chifane]

is a fine one, but I think superhero is for both white or black

I think so too. The skin color does not matter, the superhero spirit matters.

[Cristina Chifane]

I personally think there is nothing wrong with the skin or colour of Tony. What matters is the message inside the storybook. Despite that, do you know the skin colour of the author of this great book? Also, I think this is a very controversial topic. And I thank the creator of this topic, though it looks like a bias one.

Thanks. The topic is not biased at all, it's just the expression of my worries concerning the book's indirect message. If people say they never even thought of such an association, then there's no such threat and everything is just fine.