Why Do Our Children Need to See Themselves in the Books They Love?
Lola Olajide, founder of Ruthy Michaels mindful colouring books, is smiling and holding two colouring markers on an orange background.
Last week I shared the moment my three-year-old daughter held her hand close to her eyes, studied it very seriously, and asked me, “Am I Black?”
That question has stayed with me all week. Once our children start wondering who they are, where do they look for the answer?
Very often, they find it in the pages in front of them.
What a page can quietly tell a child
Children learn who they are from what surrounds them: the faces they see, the words they hear, the stories they’re given. When a child opens a book and sees hair like theirs and skin like theirs, alongside words like strong, kind and capable, a message lands without anyone having to say it out loud: you belong here, and you are enough.
Colouring gives that message time to sink in. It’s slow and calm, and the affirmation sits on the page while little hands fill in the colours.
What families have told me
This Black History Month, I want to hand the microphone to the families using our books. Some received their copies as a gift in exchange for an honest review, and I’ve noted which ones.
A mum of twin girls (gifted copy):
“My girls loved the books and enjoy colouring the pages. They fought over the books until Ruthy Michaels had to send another set. I recommend the colouring books for all children as apart from colouring the wonderful pages, they also help with their affirmations.”
Yes, I really did send a second set. Peace was restored. 😄
Another mum (gifted copy):
“As soon as Ruthy Michaels shared the colouring book with us, my daughter was hooked! She absolutely loved it, and it was such a worthwhile activity for her.”
And a mum of a young boy:
“We did the colouring together as a sort of bonding activity after discussing how his day in school went. The affirmations on each page help to really revalidate the uniqueness of his Black heritage identity as something to be proud of, especially because we live in a predominantly white-ethnic neighbourhood.”
That last line stopped me. It took me straight back to my daughter’s kindergarten, where we were in the minority and she wasn’t sure where she fitted. When the world outside doesn’t always reflect our children back to them, home becomes the place that does.
And it’s not just our children
We mums need to see ourselves too. One woman wrote this about I Am Authentic, our colouring book for Black women:
“I Am Authentic by Ruthy Michaels is a quiet form of therapy. The illustrations are beautiful and inclusive, celebrating Black women in a way that feels both gentle and powerful. Some days I pick it up to unwind, other days because I need a reminder that I’m still growing and still enough.”
Still growing and still enough. I think every mother who holds everything together needs to hear that.
Small ways to build it into your week
Colour after school. Like the mum above, use ten minutes of colouring to talk about their day.
Read the affirmation out loud together before you start the page, and again when it’s finished.
Colour alongside them. When they see you taking a quiet moment for yourself, they learn that their mum matters too.
Black history lives in our homes
It lives in our laughter, our questions, and the pages our children reach for again and again.
What did your child say the first time they saw themselves in a book? I’d love to read your stories in the comments.
If you’d like to bring these affirmations into your home, you can find our affirmation colouring books for Black women and girls here, or explore the We Rise Together Bundle.
Let’s keep rising together. 🖤
