On October 13, 2010, Charleston Southern University’s Future Teachers’ Society was privileged to hear author Nadine Johnson speak. A South Carolina children’s author and graphic designer, Johnson says that her five-year-old son is her inspiration for the books.
Johnson noticed a lack of cultural diversity in children’s literature and wanted to create books that reach out in particular to African American children. She created the Last Night I Dreamt series to show children that there is hope and that they need to dream. The primary characters, an African American boy and girl, envision themselves in various professions, each time wearing the appropriate uniforms and performing the appropriate actions.
She explained that when children have no dream for his or her future, school becomes unnecessary in their eyes and learning will not take place. For academic success to be important to a child, he or she must have a dream. The desire to fulfill that dream makes school and learning vital components.
Johnson wanted her books to have characters who are diverse in race, illustrations that are colorful, and text that is simple. Children of different races are able to identify with the characters. The colorful illustrations help to keep interest, and the simple text helps young children begin the reading process. Each of the books also has a “Fun Facts” page in the back that lists several African American individuals who have succeeded in each of the professional fields.
Johnson shared her passion for getting very young children, especially those of African American cultures, involved in the learning process. She wants to spark a desire to learn, to read, to dream, and to succeed in the hearts and minds of little children everywhere, and she does so through her use of children’s literature.
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