Author Adrea Theodore from Durham, North Carolina and artist Erin Robinson from Washington, DC, virtually visited the second grade on Tuesday, January 25. Lower School librarian Melissa Da noted the apt timing; the second grade is just about to kick off a new social studies unit. “The boys will be exploring their family’s lineage to uncover that while they are a part of the past, they are living their lives in the present to help shape their personal futures.”

Theodore began by reading the book aloud to the students. “A History of Me” is about a third grader who is “the only brown person in class” and her experience learning about slavery and civil rights alongside her white classmates. The main character’s mother supports her with an important message: What really matters is what she sees when she looks at herself. The boys listened intently and came up with questions for their visitors.

Pierce asked how many books the author had written. “A History of Me” is her first published book: “It was published last Tuesday. It’s only a week old!” she said.

Malcolm asked what gave her the idea to write the book. Theodore shared that her daughter had an experience years ago when she was in first grade. She had been learning about slavery, segregation, and civil rights in school, and she realized that if she had lived long, long ago, her life would have been very different. “I wanted to assure her that skin color is just a color.”

Ethan had a comment for Robinson: “It was like the pages were jumping out at me.” One illustration in particular made him say, “Wow!” Reid wanted to know how many books she had illustrated. “I think five or six,” Robinson said, noting that they haven’t all been released yet. “I’m still a little new at this.”

Riley was interested to know what the author does when she’s not writing. Theodore is a pediatrician who works with children dealing with trauma at a child advocacy center. “It’s a special clinic for kids who are having trouble at home,” she explained.

Tuck asked how long it took to write the book. The process of writing and revising before the publisher bought the story lasted about two years. Then began the process of finding an illustrator. The editor chose Robinson, who shared that she worked as a fashion designer before illustrating books. “I really connected with [this story],” she said. The author-illustrator pair didn’t know each other before this project. Once Robinson had been selected, Theodore looked her up and connected with her through her Etsy shop to say hello.

Charlie was curious if the book was fiction or nonfiction. “The book is fiction but some parts are true.” Theodore shared that a detail of the story that actually happened to her when she was a little girl was when a boy on a bicycle rode by and shouted hurtful things about her race. The memory has always stuck with her. After listening to her experience, Charlie responded thoughtfully, “I’m sorry that happened to you.”

Second grade teacher Karen Cooper requested advice for the students as they work in writing workshop. “What helps me is taking a break from writing,” Theodore said. “Then I come back at it with fresh eyes.”

“A History of Me” is available for purchase at The Ivy and on Amazon.