The ABCs of Black Stories Reviews

"This is such a thoughtful, engaging, and valuable book for readers of all ages. I really appreciated how it shares important stories of Black history in Canada in a format that feels genuine, interesting, and easy to explore. 

What stood out most to me was how the ABC structure never felt forced. Rather than simply using people’s names for each letter, the book uses meaningful themes, organizations, and moments in history, which made it feel so creative and genuine. Entries like R for "Real McCoy" (Elijah McCoy, Inventor!) N for "NHL's First Black Player (Willie O'Ree) Corps, or H for "HMS Shannon" (to represent the seafarer, William Hall)- were all such smart choices. It’s such an inviting format for younger readers, but there is so much here for adults to learn as well... I found myself flipping pages, and just reading each and every story! What started as a quick look at a few of the stories, turned into an hour sitting and enjoying each one!

One of my favourite parts was reading about local history, including Joe Fortes here in Vancouver, who saved at least 29 people from drowning and was so beloved that more than 10,000 people attended his funeral. Or Harry Jerome (we recently had his sister visit our school & share his story!) who was a world-record runner! Stories like that make history feel personal and connected to place.

This is an excellent resource for classrooms, libraries, and families wanting to learn more about Black Canadian history in an engaging way."

~Crystal Cahill, Grade 5 Teacher & K-7 Teacher Librarian

___________________________

"I love how accessible this book is! For all ages, it can introduce vital parts of black Canadian history to readers in bite-size pieces. The colours, illustrations, and thorough research make it a trustworthy source of information that avoids overwhelming the reader."

~Raven Griffin, McGill University intern & Sankofa Archives and Collections volunteer

___________________________

"Bravo once again for your children’s books. I think they’re great! I’ve been reading them through.  William Hall and the Victoria Cross? James Douglas? Tons of stuff  I hadn’t known and now I do.  I wish I’d had this book when my kids were growing up.  I showed it to my sister in law (who just retired as department head for library science at John Abbott) and she thinks they’re great too."

~Julie Miller, project coordinator at Share/Partage Patrimoine

___________________________

"My thoughts on the books were that they were incredibly detailed and educational. I think they would be great for anyone who is interested in learning more about Black history in Canada. I loved how vividly illustrated it was."

~Zoe Regnier, McGill University intern & Sankofa Archives and Collections volunteer

___________________________

"First of all, I really enjoyed both volumes of your book; the stories were all compelling, and I appreciated how they showcased the range of the black experience in Canada. For example, one story that stayed with me was the story of the black fur trader who spoke Ojibwe. I remember learning about the fur trade back in elementary school, and it had never occurred to me that black people even existed in Canada before the 19th century, well, not until I started coming to the archive anyway. A black man who was so talented he found a fugitive in the crazy Canadian wilderness in less than a week; for lack of a better word, it's a very cool story. I kept thinking over and over again about how much these books would have impacted me if I had them as a kid. Your book actually reminded me of a book my mom bought me as a kid, which was filled with stories of influential women in history that really inspired me to dream big. I think the variety of stories in the book will have the same impact on the black kids who read it. I personally felt inspired reading all the different stories; it gave me a pep in my step when I went to work on my job application. I also really enjoyed all the illustrations and blurbs. I especially liked the blurbs with definitions; books like that were how my vocabulary improved as a kid, so I thought that was a great addition."

~Atika Ahmed, University of Concordia student & Sankofa Archives and Collections volunteer

___________________________

"... Oh, I really like how sometimes the story is interrupted with a little meta-explanation, like a teacher talking to the child who's reading it. I'm in Boston King's pages. Some could even vividly remember living in Africa. And then we've got that big, bold Why? They had been born there. Then they had been kidnapped and brought into the Americas. I really like these interruptions; there's a lot of guidance through this and I find it really helpful. ...

 Dorothy, this book is just, it's so juicy. It's so delicious. I love it as an adult and I would have loved it as a kid. There's so much to learn about each person and about vocabulary and about other parts of history, like the Crimean War or in 2010, the Canada Post issuing a commemorative stamp for William Hall. It's this wonderful combination of prose and the best parts of comic books and graphic histories. ...

Obviously, one book can't change everything in the universe, but I do feel like these books are going to make a new generation of children actually aware, like more aware than their parents and their grandparents, of—if nothing else—that slavery took place in Canada (a bare minimum, I know, but progress is progress...). ...

Instead of just telling us about it, you bring us into the space. This is one reason why I have always admired your poetry skills, because you are so skilled at bringing in sensory details, which is of course a huge tool in poetry and and in any poetic prose and storytelling. You're a wicked storyteller. ...

Oh, man, and Marie Didet, that is such a powerful one. The illustration: Was it worth it or was the cost too high? And the illustration of the telephone to represent the telephone agreement. This would have been mind-blowing for me as a child, just mind blowing. I remember very, very clearly sitting in my room and reading several books I had in some kind of series about about black history. I think I had one about Harriet Tubman and one about George Washington Carver, and a couple others and I read them with great interest. I just think it would have fascinated me to know how complicated it is to fight for justice. I mean, I was in my 20s when I first really understood that while a solution to an injustice may be just, that doesn't mean it can't cause real harm too. It took me until my mid-20s to understand that complexity, and it would have just blown my mind as a child to learn about it. And so I love the way this story is told."

~Elisabeth Blair, writer, editor, and educator

Articles about These Books

Because of Them: The Stories We Didn’t Learn (and Why They Matter Now) by Kimberley Dooshima Jev with Afros in tha City

The ABCs of Black Stories in Canada: A two-book set every classroom needs by Afrotoronto.com