Who do you see when you look in the mirror?
Life can be hard for the only brown girl in a classroom full of white students. When the teacher talks about slavery, she can feel all of her classmates staring at her. When they talk about civil rights, she is the one that other kids whisper about on the playground. In those moments, she wants to slip away or seep into the ground; and she wonders, is that all you see when you look at me?
What really matters is what she sees when she looks at herself. She is a reflection of the courage, strength, intelligence and creativity that's been passed down from generation to generation through her ancestors.
In Adrea Theodore’s A HISTORY OF ME, she gives a mother's account of her experience as the only Black child in school. Inspired by her daughter's experience in school as well as her own, Adrea Theodore's debut picture book is a powerful testament to the past as well as a benediction for the future. Beautifully illustrated by Erin K Robindon, this work serves as an empowering message to her own daughter and children of color everywhere.
Adrea brings her phenomenal story to the Busboys screen with a read-along, followed by a conversation with fellow children’s author Leah Henderson.
Praise for A HISTORY OF ME
“Robinson skillfully illuminates the book's many strands of history. . . . The narrator is a quietly thoughtful force to be reckoned with. A History of Me is a moving reminder of what we gain when we draw strength and inspiration from the past.”
-BookPage, Starred Review
“[A] poetic debut informed by Theodore's own life as well as that of her daughter. . . . Refrains emphasize the child's isolation and resolve, punctuated by Robinson's textured digital illustrations, before an affirmative ending.”
-Publishers Weekly
“A child discovers how to rise above isolation at school in a compassionate and rewarding picture book that portrays how self-esteem and racial pride intersect.”
-Shelf Awareness
“A love letter of recognition to children of color. . . . The colors go from subdued to vibrant, with the protagonist's daughter shown on one page as an almost literal beam of light”
-The Horn Book
This event is free and open to all, accessible through our Facebook and Youtube pages (@busboysandpoets).
The program will begin at 4:30PM with an introduction from a member of our team. There will be time for Q&A before the end of the program. Copies of A HISTORY OF ME are available for purchase on bookshop.org, grab your copy to follow along!
We recommend that viewers RSVP in order to receive direct links and updates from Busboys and Poets Books.
Adrea Theodore is a mother, a pediatrician, and with the publication of A History of Me, an author of books for children. Growing up on Long Island, she was the kind of girl who almost always had a book in her hand, a library card in her pocket, and a stack of books in the corner waiting to be read—or returned for more books. She currently lives in Durham, North Carolina, where she works with children at a local child advocacy center. Twitter: @adrea_theodore
Leah Henderson is a mentor, avid traveler, and a believer in all readers seeing their possibilities. Her books include One Shadow on the Wall, The Magic in Changing Your Stars, Together We March, A Day for Rememberin’ and Daddy Speaks Love. Her work has also been published in the New York Times Book Review. Leah holds an MFA in writing and teaches in the Spalding University graduate writing program. You can find her at leahhendersonbooks.com and when she’s not typing away at home in Washington, D.C., she is traveling the world in search of story and wonder.
