There’s a massive diversity gap in children’s literature. Long a unique concern among educators and parents of color, the problem bubbled to the surface of national conversation earlier this year when Walter Dean Myers wrote about it in the Sunday Edition of the New York Times. According to those researchers at the University of Wisconsin, of 3,200 children’s books published last year, only 93 were about black people.
Robert "Tres" Trujillo is trying to change that dismal reality. The San Francisco-based illustrator has launched a Kickstater campaign to raise $10,000 for his first children’s book "Furquan’s First Flat Top," a bilingual Spanish and English story about a young boy’s first trip the barber shop with his father. Trujillo writes about his inspiration on fundraiser page:
I want to reflect some of the children and families I see; I love children’s books and think diverse stories like this one need to be seen. As a parent, I understand the importance of encouraging reading at an early age, and this book will be in both Spanish and English, as I know the positive impact it can have when children are exposed to more than one language. Lastly I think it is important to show a loving relationship between a father and his son.