The Education of the Black Child: Reading African-American Children’s Literature till the Black Power Era

Abstract

This paper discusses the development of African-American children’s literature from
the 19th century to the 1960s and 70s. From church poems, which were written to
discipline black children, African-American children’s literature developed to become
what Bishop calls a ‘socially and culturally conscious literature.’ It not only informs
African-American children of their rich black heritage but at the same time instils pride
in their race. In conclusion, this paper also offers a brief analysis of some of the 20th
century African-American children’s books from the perspective of class and gender.