Award-Winning Author Talks Diversity In Children's Literature

This is KPBS midday edition a Maureen Cavanaugh. A national city native celebrated a homecoming recently. Is now and award-winning children's author and he got to visit kids that his old cool. Gentoo when the procedures Newbery medal this year for the book Last Stop On Market Street. Is touring the country with the books illustrator Christian Robinson and they made a stop at can acres elementary. I spoke with Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson just after that visit. Welcome mat and Christian welcome thanks for coming in. Thank you. We treated like rock stars by the kids? It was overwhelming, just being on a campus where was as a child was amazing but also the Mayor was there, assemblywoman, some other schools were represented the so it was amazing to see all of the people that came to support the event. Of the read the book what did they say about it? Everyone we have seen so far on the tour has and so ordered and wonderful and I do not even know how to assess today. It was really special back the Last Stop On Market Street, not just to have roots and San Diego. The stories about a grandmother who takes her grandson on a beside to the Last Stop On Market Street were they end up at a soup kitchen. All along the journey you see the grandmother subtly guiding the young boy to see the world in a different way, not to see what he does not have but to look at the amazing things that he does help in his life and then ultimately the land the suit kitchen not to eat there but to serve others even though they did not have much. That is brought out in the book because CJ, the child keeps asking grandmother why don't we have a car, why do I have these things other people have? So in that we sort of see that not everybody in the world has everything. I think one of the line that is the most impactful for me as a writer is near the end when she's does sometimes -- she says sometimes when you are surrounded by dirt you are a better witness for what is beautiful. One of the main things running to the book as we have a choice in how we will perceive the world and she is showing him an alternative what he is bringing to the table at the beginning of the story. Question your illustrations hit a perfect pitch for the subject matter in the book. Do you identify with CJ? Oh greatly. I myself was raised by my grandmother. I grew up in Los Angeles we did not have a car, we did not have much, grandmother raised my brother, she raised two cousins of mine and my aunt and we all lived in a one bedroom apartment. We had limited base and means been in a abundance of lots. I definitely connect with CJ. The greatest thing about the book is to be able to ask them to share the experience of my grandmother. How did you guys get together and collaborate? First of all we share an agent who lives here in San Diego in La Jolla, he is amazing and we both loved him. He sent me a link to Christians website, which is the art of one.com, and there was one illustration on their not just a blog that Christian, personal illustrations, one was of a away on the bus with his grandmother -- one was of a boy on the bus with his grandmother. It was you write was it a self-portrait # Yes that's right it was an assignment that was to paint a picture that was home to me. It is a boy on the bus with his grandmother. Sharing a moment with my grandmother always feels like home to me. The agency made a blog and I said I really love one illustration with the boy on the bus with his grandmother and that is where the entire book started, and one illustration. While. There's been a great talk a great deal of push to feature more diverse characters in children's literature, CJ and his grandmother are African-American, what do you think the last what you think that kind of diversity has taken so long? I think the first thing that comes to mind for me is in the world of children's of wishing it is kind of a homogenous employee pool. It is very difficult to work in publishing because you start out at such a low salary and you are living in New York City. Most people who work in publishing are getting a little extra money from family or they are doing an unpaid internship and their parents or family members are supporting them. It kind of gives us the same employee across the board. I think one of the things that we see is that we need more diverse employees within publishing to sort of rally behind the voices that we do not see traditionally in literature. We know now that the demographic of this country is changing dramatically and it is really important to reflect that in literature and it is slowly catching up. Sort of question doesn't make -- is a big differences that make our Christian, when children see themselves reflected in literature. So for a young African-American child to see themselves of the star. They are an introduction to the world for many children, we see the rabbit in a book and we know they jump we see a pig and we know they say oink and we also begin to see characters that look like a so they don't look like this it is and they message that you, you matter, you are here. Matt, going back to the good acres elementary, what kinds of feelings to that bring up for you? It is an interesting thing because my family is very rooted in national city specifically, my mom went to Lincoln acres My mom was an aide at Lincoln a scar my dad -- Lincoln acres, dad went to elementary school in the city in the important thing to me was to see all of the Brown faces that I grew up with. It was very powerful. One of the things that I think is important to me is when you grow up in a community that maybe is not the richest community sometimes you feel like you do not have as many possibilities or options. One of my favorite things I got to do was look at them and say I am no different than you, I am not smarter than you, I am not more gifted than you, I wasn't richer than you, and I got to this thing, my dream came true and your dream can come true, too. I think my favorite part of today was eating able to just say hey I am an example of something you could strive to be, not just a writer but to achieve a dream. I have been speaking with writer Matt de la Peña and illustrator mission Robinson and the Newberry oh award-winning book is called last top on market Street. I know you are both doing a tour for this book and I am glad you took the moment to stop by. Thank you.