Crowned: Magical Folk and Fairy Tales from the Diaspora

by Kahran and Regis Bethencourt
St. Martin’s Press, 2023

In a recent, (June 4, 2023) CBS Sunday Morning segment, Kahran and Regis Bethencourt, award winning authors and photographers, were interviewed about their latest book, Crowned Magical Folk and Fairy Tales from the Diaspora. When asked why they created this book, the Bethencourts said they thought it was important for Black children to see themselves reflected.  They wanted to shatter current beauty standards and motivate and empower Black youth around the world. By creating this book, the Bethencourts showed that Black children’s “uniqueness is their superpower. Don’t be afraid to show it.”

Classic tales are reimagined to reflect the beauty, the love, and the uniqueness of Black children. “Ebony Black” is the “Snow White” character. “Goldi” is a Black child with golden locs; Rozi is the sleeping beauty, and the handsome Frog Prince is an albino. African tales show that compassion, love, and kindness can overcome fears, strengthen relationships, and promote peace and harmony. “New Classics: Our Stories” is a collection of contemporary and fantasy stories.  Even an old-fashioned cowboy story with a contemporary spin is included in this collection.  The photographs enhance, illuminate, highlight, and brilliantly portray the diversity of these characters.

What works: From the albino child to the child with cerebral palsy, each child is photographed naturally and beautifully.  Most of the stories show that the child’s strengths, skills, love, and kindness are their superpowers.

What doesn’t work: A few magical and folk tales are reimagined better than others.  However, these few tales still reflect Black love, joy, beauty, and empowerment.

Pass it OR Grab it? Grab it: The photographs alone make it worth grabbing this book. They are beautiful, diverse, and powerful.  The reimagined stories further supports that Black children are loved, beautiful, unique, and have the power to reimagine themselves. The book is great for parents and teachers to read to or with young children. The “moral of the story” provides a nice jumping off spot for discussions on values, character, and decision making.