CHATHAM — Cherron Byrd-Smith was just a mom struggling to help her son, Micah, write a book report before she became an author.
The Chatham resident had trouble finding books with positive portrayals of African-American children two summers ago. So Byrd-Smith wrote her own book, releasing "A Painted Picture of Me" in November.
"A lot of kids don't have a positive image or description of who they are and what they are about," Byrd-Smith said Tuesday.
Byrd-Smith will hold her first book signing at 10 a.m. Saturday in the Beverly Area Planning Association's community room at 11109 S. Longwood Drive in Morgan Park. The meet-and-greet is part of the Southwest Chicago Diversity Collaborative's children's book club.
The neighborhood group formed a volunteer board in September and aims to promote diversity through fellowship, education and community gatherings in the 19th Ward. The book club is one of its reoccurring events.
“It's important to us that the world our children experience through books is as wonderfully diverse as the one we're living in. The [collaborative's] children's book club is a chance for us to share the books in our lives that are culturally affirming and portray positive images of all of us,” said Milissa McClaire Gary, a member of the diversity group's board.
Members of the Southwest Chicago Diversity Collaborative greet attendees of the Beverly Art Walk Oct. 1 in Lockhart Park. The neighborhood group is hosting a children's book club at 10 a.m. Saturday in the Beverly Area Planning Association's community room. [Provided]
Byrd-Smith said she met McClaire Gary through her cousin. She said her book fits well within the mission of the collaborative, as it's written for all children as a way to reflect on their physical features.
So how would Byrd-Smith describe the theme of her book?
"How do you see yourself?" she said.
Indeed, the main character of the book is a young girl also named Micah. She asks her mother to take her to a painting class, and the teacher, Ms. Addison, asks Micah to describe and paint her eyes, nose, lips, hair and more. (Addison is also the first name of Byrd-Smith's 15-month-old daughter.)
"What does your skin look like," Ms. Addison asks Micah on page 19 of the 27-page book written for children between ages 4-8.
"My skin looks like the sun has been kissing my face," the young artist replies and proceeds to paint her portrait a "shade of color with smooth lines representing her skin."
The book goes on to tell the full story of the painting, and Byrd-Smith said she leaned heavily on her experience working as an occupational therapist for Chicago Public Schools. She's often called upon to help students with self regulation and self advocacy.
"It's so important for [children] to be able to express who they are and what they are all about," she said.
Byrd-Smith said she'll be selling hardcover copies of her book ($19.99) at the event. A paperback version of the book ($10.99) illustrated by Mike Motz is also for sale on Amazon.com along with an electronic version ($4.99).
After Byrd-Smith's reading and signing, related drawing and coloring activities are planned. The children's book club is open to the public.
“We realize that books and stories are a powerful means to explore the world,” McClaire Gary said.
