Photo courtesy of Black News
A young girl has inspired her father to publish a new children’s book based on African culture and royalty.
Author Dorsey Spencer Jr. launched his new book “Queen Cara and the Kingdom of Jama’a” after his young daughter, Ciara, influenced him to create the new publication, Black News reported.
The fantasy children’s book integrates Nigerian and West African culture, and the leading character is someone both young Black boys and girls can identify with throughout the story.
Once Cara receives a unique necklace, she realizes the piece of jewelry has the power to take her to magical worlds. As she starts her new journey, she enters the beautiful Kingdom of Jama’a, where she confronts a barbaric creature made of stone and malice. Children reading the book can expect to be moved by Cara’s fearlessness as she continues her journey while fighting off the beast to save her kingdom.
When asked why he decided to release a children’s book, Spencer Jr. explained that children’s literature does not have Black and brown main character’s that they can relate to in the story.
“I started the business because, as a father of two children, I noticed that there is a lack of children’s books that offer Black or brown protagonists,” said Spencer Jr. “I want my children to see themselves in the stories they read and hear. The work we do is so much more than publishing children’s literature for a diverse audience. We are committed to creating the narrative and instilling positive change to inspire young people of color.
Queen Cara and the Kingdom of Jama’a gives children a new interpretation of their world and hope for leading wholesome lives, bursting at the seams with possibilities and no predetermined limitations.”Spencer Jr. currently serves as the dean of students at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. As an author, he owns an independent publishing company called See Us Fly LLC, which aims to uplift Black storytellers in “the pursuit of diversity and equity for all children in literature.”
His first book, “Worms Are a Yummy Snack,” is about a father and son that develop a bond with each other while on a fishing trip.
“Queen Cara and the Kingdom of Jama’a” is now available on Amazon for purchase.