‘Anyone can fly’ – the Ability to Fly and the Rhetoric of Change in Picturebooks by Faith Ringgold and Jacqueline Woodson
Abstract
The ability to fly, viewed by many African American slaves as their only path to freedom, remains a popular theme in African American children’s literature. Traversing various time-spaces, flying figures bring readers into the world of endless opportunities, in which a child has a pivotal role to play. Flying over their homes, the young characters overcome social and cultural limitations, as well as uncover opportunities for positive change. This article examines three African American picturebooks, where the motif of flying plays a pivotal social and political role: Tar Beach (1991) and Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky (1992) by Faith Ringgold, and The Year We Learned to Fly (2022) by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Rafael López. Its focus lies on verbal storylines as well as visual narratives and their persuasive power in encouraging young readers to act for the benefit of their families and communities.
Keywords
African American children’s literature; Faith Ringgold; Jacqueline Woodson; picturebooks; rhetoric of change; child agency; flying motif
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Casimir Pulaski University of Radom Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3769-2728
Ewa Klęczaj-Siara – PhD, works at the Chair of Modern Languages, the Faculty of Philology and Pedagogy at the Casimir Pulaski University of Radom (Poland). Her academic interests include African American children’s literature, particularly picturebooks focusing on racial inequalities in the United States. Contact: e.kleczaj@uthrad.pl.
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