Review: Young Gifted and Black by Jamia Wilson, illustrated by Andrea Pippins

Recent research shows by KS1 some children have formed firm ideas about race due to environment and upbringing, which is why this early board book, lauding Black excellence, is well-timed. 

Adapted from Jamia Wilson and Andrea Pippins' best-selling non-fiction anthology for KS2, this curated edition introduces babies and preschoolers to 18 Black icons, leaders, and pioneers — past and present — from the arts, science, politics, and sport.  

Bursting with Pippins' vibrant artwork, each page boosts children's confidence and self-belief by leading with positive affirmations for individual talents/traits written as simple 'I am' statements. 

Every statement is coupled with a bold image of a famous Black man or woman who personifies each talent, promoting children's association of Black people with greatness from an early age. 

A mirror at the back allows young book lovers of all ethnicities, especially Black children, to view themselves as part of this prestigious Hall of Fame and as another success story, inspiring dreams of emulating the legendary Black figures in previous pages. (Note: you'll need to remove the cellophane on the mirror before giving this book to children.)

Small gripes were that, unlike the original book which featured several Black-British game-changers, this version only includes Zadie Smith. Also, attaching 'baby' to the book title potentially limits its scope as the text would likely benefit children in reception and Year 1 more than it would babies. 

That said, babies and preschoolers (FS1) will definitely engage with the attractive colours and stimulating shapes of the joyfully designed pages. Plus, it's entirely crucial to normalise the celebration of Black historical figures — their names and faces — early on. Though children may not know who Mae Jemison, Martin Luther King Jr, or the Obamas are now, hearing about them sows seeds for future learning. 

Overall, this joyful little book is a huge step towards making the achievements of magnificent Black people accessible to inform our youngest learners. It deserves a home on all nursery bookshelves, and not just for Black History Month.

Young Gifted and Black (baby edition) is available now from Bookshop.

Resources

University of Bristol: Children show implicit racial attitudes from a young age, research confirms

BBC Tiny Happy People: Talking about race with young children by Uju Asika

The Black Nursery Manager 

Guide for teachers and parents

Genre	Non-fiction: information text about famous/historical figures
Child-led interests	my body, ourselves, jobs people do
Age group (EYFS, KS1, KS2)	EYFS (Nursery)
Curriculum links (EYFS/NC)	CLL PSED UW
Suitability	nursery library/school/class library or home-reader
General language features	present tense; supporting images; some repetition: 'I am...like...'; simple sentences, unfamiliar names, eg, Nina Simone, Katherine Johnson, W.E.B Dubois

All the Black children's books that I review are checked against my Jericho Benchmark.