Young Trailblazers: The Book of Black Artists

by M.J. Fievre

Overview

Discover the Trailblazing Creativity of Black Artists (Ages 8-12)

A fun book for children that teaches them about Black trailblazers who championed diversity in art through their creativity.

Inspirational stories of Black artists. Art is unique in its ability to channel creative expression and inspire change. From Black authors and poets, to phenomenal Black painters and singers, these artists used the many forms of art to convey beautiful and important messages. This fun and educational kid’s history book goes through the ABCs of the names and stories of Black artists who not only created amazing work, but worked to inspire creativity for generations to come.

Experience an array of rich Black history. History books have often left out the amazing and varied stories of Black artists. The Young Trailblazers series of children’s books aims to shine a light on those stories for young readers. Through this, the book helps teach your children about diversity and inclusion. Alongside the amazing stories, the book also includes beautiful illustrations, interesting facts, and important words and their definitions.

Meet the Young Trailblazers who will:

• Introduce your child to Black history
• Instill the importance of art
• Encourage creativity for kids
• Teach them new words and interesting facts

If your child enjoyed other books in the Young Trailblazer series such as The Book of Black Inventors and Scientists, or The Book of Black Heroes and Overcomers; or if they enjoyed other books such as Black Heroes, Little Legends, or Women in Art, then they’ll love Young Trailblazers: The Book of Black Artists.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781642507874
Publisher:	Mango Media
Publication date:	01/01/2026
Series:	Young Trailblazers
Pages:	142
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.63(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Born in Port-au-Prince, M.J. Fievre, B.S. Ed, earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Barry University. A seasoned K–12 teacher, a creator of safe spaces, and an initiator of difficult conversations, she spent much time building up her students, helping them feel comfortable in their own skin, and affirming their identities. Her close relationships with parents and students led her to look more closely at how we can balance protecting a child’s innocence with preparing them for the realities of life. She has taught creative writing workshops to children and teens at the O Miami Poetry Festival and the Miami Art Museum, as well as in various schools in Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia), Port-au-Prince (Haiti), and South Florida. She’s also been a keynote speaker at Tufts University(Massachusetts), Howard University(Washington, DC), the University of Miami (Florida), and Michael College (Vermont) and has served as a panelist at the Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference (AWP).

M.J.’s publishing career began as a teenager in her native Haiti. At nineteen years old, she signed her first book contract with Hachette-Deschamps for the publication of a YA book titled La Statuette Maléfique. Since then, M.J. has released nine YA books in French that are widely read in Europe and the French Antilles, and she is the author of the award-winning Badass Black Girl book series for tweens and teens (in English). One Moore Book published M.J.’s first children’s book, I Am Riding, as part of a special limited series edited by Edwidge Danticat. A middle-grade book, Young Trailblazers, and picture book, Sam Is Afraid of Christmas, are both set to be released by DragonFruit in the fall of 2021.

As the ReadCaribbean program coordinator for the prestigious Miami Book Fair, M.J. directs and produces the children’s cultural show Taptap Krik? Krak! For her podcast, MJ has interviewed many literary legends, including Edwidge Danticat, Alice Randall, and Nikki Giovanni.

Read an Excerpt

From the Introduction

Some of the oldest known artwork in the world is Black art. Before there was slavery, there was Black art. Before there were colonies, there was Black art. For many years, Black art was stolen out of Africa and displayed in some of Europe’s finest museums, always with the notion that it was pleasing to the white eye to see a bust of Nefertiti or some Egyptian tomb paintings. Often, brown-skinned people behold Black and see things white art critics have missed. Black art is important because it opens art to a wide spectrum of skin colors, beyond white, and shows us different perspectives on reality.

It is next to impossible to define Black art because it is multi-faceted and dynamic. There is no one thing that is Black art. Black art is powerful. It is unique in its forms. Black art is also history, and it is often a history of struggle for liberation. Whether it was quiltmakers who left secret messages in the designs of their quilts during the years when it was illegal for slaves to read and write or field workers singing in harmony under the hot sun, nothing has stopped the Black artist from creating art. There is strength in numbers, and the best of Black art can be found where movements have existed that support and nurture the artist. Whether it was the Harlem Renaissance at the beginning of the 20th century or the many movements and collectives that began to emerge during the 1960s, like AfriCOBRA, The Black Arts Movement, and Where We At, Black art flourishes when it is a collective endeavor, and when artists open doors that have long been closed to them. It is no coincidence that Black arts movements are tied to civil rights movements. When we express indignation at the way we’ve been treated, it leads to greater liberation from oppression and to a dismantling of racist ideas. Black art is how we show pride in our creativity and culture.