When I was young, I was told that very old people and very new people have something special in common. They are both very close to heaven. The new or very young have just come from heaven and the very old are soon to return. "Grandpa, Is Everything Black Bad?" is a special story about that unique relationship between the old and the young.
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This is a very, very special book. It is not just a kid's book for Black children. It is a precious lesson for everyone. All parents should read this story to their children. Older children should read this story to younger children. Young children should read it to older children and adults should read it to other adults. "Grandpa, Is Everything Black Bad?" helps children to know and the rest of us to remember that God didn't create children dumb or hateful or insecure or bad. This simple yet powerful story tells Black children, born in a society that tries to teach everyone that Black is bad, that everything Black is not bad.
Speaking as the "Old Ones," it tells our children, through a splendid blending of pictures and words, that self love is a most precious gift and that, as Black people, we have a glorious heritage that runs through our veins. Grandpa Rufus teaches us that there is an undying African spirit that makes our Blackness the wondrous gift that has contributed to the goodness of all humanity. The story reminds us that we need the Old Ones to teach the young about what makes them special and that the Old Ones need the young to remind them of their real purpose.
This precious book is good medicine for the ills of our society and should be read over and over again until we see pictures in our heads that are of beauty, and dreams in our hearts that point to greatness.
Wade W. Nobles, Ph.D.
(Nana Kwaku Berko I, aka Ifagbemi Sangadore)
Psychologist & Acting
Chair, Dept. of Black Studies
San Francisco State University.