INDIANAPOLIS — Books can teach many lessons and this Black History Month, one author hopes to encourage young black girls to celebrate their individuality and embrace their creativity.
Maria Boyd returned to Mary Evelyn Castle Elementary School, the same school she once attended to share her story, Tink’s BUGTastic Surprise, with a class of first graders.
“I learned that she brought a bug in,” said first-grader Braelyn Burrell.
“I think her name was Tink and her mom screamed down the hall,” added her classmate, Millie Hoffman.
For Boyd, the message behind the story goes well beyond a little girl determined to bring home a peculiar bug from school.
“What I wanted to showcase is the beautifulness of every day being Black, like as you can see on the book it’s the curls, it’s the hairballs, it’s the beads,” said Maria Boyd. “Growing up, I didn’t see a lot of representation in books of people that looked like me.”
It’s an important lesson Boyd wants kids to walk away with, especially little Black girls.
“Yes, there’s bugs, yes there’s different perspectives but the overall thing is imagination, be cool with imagining what you want your world to be about,” Boyd said.
Boyd also told WRTV she hopes the story teaches a lesson of diversity and different cultures — something her former elementary school Mary Castle has always done.
“If it’s not depicted in our stories and the media and in their everyday lives, then it’s hard to see people who look like you operating in those spaces,” she said.
Boyd graduated from Purdue and told WRTV she wants to encourage others to be change-makers.
Tink’s BUGTastic Surprise is based on true events from Boyd’s daughter.
The experience inspired her to create a story that encouraged kids to embrace differences, creativity, individuality, and a platform that celebrates inclusivity.
