Young Gifted and Black Too

words by Jamia Wilson, illustrated by Andrea Pippins,. Wide Eyed Publishing, 2023.

It is a nonfiction treasure! This vibrant collected anthology is an invitation to celebrate the multiplicity of Black genius. As the subtitle states, “Meet 52 more Black icons from past and present.” Young Gifted and Black Too is an extension of Young Gifted and Black, published in 2018. Young Gifted and Black Too is an equally rewarding compendium, and I recommend grabbing both and putting them on the shelf for generations. The glossary in the newest book is expanded and is a phenomenal reference. Black nonfiction children’s literature like these two is a rare treat in a field that continues to sleep on producing a consistent body of quality Black nonfiction for children. But that’s for another discussion.

What works: Everything, everything, everything. This book arouses all of your senses! It is Black nonfiction pleasure reading at its best, and it is an equally beneficial teaching tool for characteristics like addressing text features, disciplinary literacy, vocabulary, and rich conceptual ideas about justice and joy across place and time. 

Like the first volume, every element of Young Gifted and Black Too is a provocation. The green, orange, pink, and golden bursts of radiating shapes pop on each page turn. They dance around the icons’ brown, beige, and chocolate hues. The tools of the trade signal the affiliation and gift. For example, Bertina Lopes holds a paintbrush and color palette. Lewis Hamilton holds a trophy, and his car playfully has a crown positioned on the front of it (every person also has a crown somehow situated on their head). The geometric shapes lead the reader to the text. Wilson and Pippens were intentional about every aspect of this book—equally artful and informational. Wide-Eyed, the publisher specializes in “creative inspirations.” Clearly, the creators wanted the book to be an experience, and it is. It’s weighty, textual, playful, and literary. I couldn’t help but rub my hand across the book’s cover. It has a slightly woven texture, reminiscent of cloth bound covers of the 60’s and 70’s, and they merge this this with digital artistry. Like the selection of notable contemporary and historical artists, athletes, politicians, and literary luminaries, Wilson and Pippens simultaneously make everything about the book a possibility to look backward and forward. This is a characteristic reflected in their other publishing projects which includes explorations of pop-culture figures and conscious raising topics.

Readers will have some aha moments while reading about familiar icons like Prince and moments of pause when encountering others. Who is Juan Latino? Ann Lowe, Franz Fanon? They cover the Black diaspora, and in doing so, they inspire new inquiry. I can’t wait to layer these brief bios with music, videos, and other books. Readers will return for repeated readings and references (I know I will!)  

Wilson and Pippens honor the healers, activists, dreamers, athletes, writers, and inventors while reflecting an equally abiding love and faith in the reader to continue the legacy. For example, in the visuals, Pippens casts the gaze of Coretta Scott King, Thomas Sankara, Colin Kaepernick, and many others directly toward the reader. The look is an invitation that mimics their welcoming prompt to the reader at the welcoming segment of the book…”What do heroes inspire you to make or do with your own gifts? How do you plan to write your name on the present and future pages?” (np)

This is a must-grab (as is the first title). It’s a gift about the gifted for the gifted. I eagerly await the next volume and the ones after that, too…