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From: Brosnan, Rosemary <rosemary.brosnan>
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 10:04:37 -0400
I was interested in hearing Debbie Reese say that some publishing houses have rejected manuscripts about contemporary Native Americans because they prefer to publish legends. I have been publishing books about contemporary Native Americans, Latinos, and African Americans for quite a number of years now, as I feel that these books are so very important for children of these backgrounds, so they can see themselves reflected in literature; the books also open windows into other cultures for children who do not belong to these groups. One of the dangers in publishing only Native American legends is that non-Native children start to believe that Native Americans no longer exist, and that their cultures were important only in the past.
I am publishing a new author named Cynthia L. Smith, a mixed blood member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation--her first picture book, JINGLE DANCER, will appear in Spring 2000. It features a contemporary Muscogee girl who wants to jingle dance at a powwow; she visits various family members and neighbors to find enough jingles so "her dress can sing." One of the things that drew me to Cynthia's writing is that she is writing about contemporary Native Americans. One of the cousins she visits is the kind of character Debbie mentions in her e-mail: an "Indian woman lawyer." Characters have been painted by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu with different facial features and skin colors to reflect the great diversity of Native American people. The lawyer-cousin is a Black Indian. Cynthia's wonderful first novel, RAIN IS NOT MY INDIAN NAME, a middle-grade novel featuring a contemporary Muscogee girl, will be published on our Spring/Summer 2001 list.
I can't speak for other editors, but I know that I am committed to publishing stories about contemporary Native Americans, and in fact, I favor these over legends. As the mother of two young boys of Colombian-Jewish-European backgrounds, I can see firsthand how important it is for children to see themselves reflected in books. How nice it is when I read a book to my children featuring an "abuela" or a "bubbe" and they feel the book is about THEM.
Rosemary Brosnan Executive Editor HarperCollins Children's Books
Received on Tue 26 Oct 1999 09:04:37 AM CDT
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 10:04:37 -0400
I was interested in hearing Debbie Reese say that some publishing houses have rejected manuscripts about contemporary Native Americans because they prefer to publish legends. I have been publishing books about contemporary Native Americans, Latinos, and African Americans for quite a number of years now, as I feel that these books are so very important for children of these backgrounds, so they can see themselves reflected in literature; the books also open windows into other cultures for children who do not belong to these groups. One of the dangers in publishing only Native American legends is that non-Native children start to believe that Native Americans no longer exist, and that their cultures were important only in the past.
I am publishing a new author named Cynthia L. Smith, a mixed blood member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation--her first picture book, JINGLE DANCER, will appear in Spring 2000. It features a contemporary Muscogee girl who wants to jingle dance at a powwow; she visits various family members and neighbors to find enough jingles so "her dress can sing." One of the things that drew me to Cynthia's writing is that she is writing about contemporary Native Americans. One of the cousins she visits is the kind of character Debbie mentions in her e-mail: an "Indian woman lawyer." Characters have been painted by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu with different facial features and skin colors to reflect the great diversity of Native American people. The lawyer-cousin is a Black Indian. Cynthia's wonderful first novel, RAIN IS NOT MY INDIAN NAME, a middle-grade novel featuring a contemporary Muscogee girl, will be published on our Spring/Summer 2001 list.
I can't speak for other editors, but I know that I am committed to publishing stories about contemporary Native Americans, and in fact, I favor these over legends. As the mother of two young boys of Colombian-Jewish-European backgrounds, I can see firsthand how important it is for children to see themselves reflected in books. How nice it is when I read a book to my children featuring an "abuela" or a "bubbe" and they feel the book is about THEM.
Rosemary Brosnan Executive Editor HarperCollins Children's Books
Received on Tue 26 Oct 1999 09:04:37 AM CDT
