Husband and wife photographers Kahran and Regis Bethencourt created a stunning love letter to Black children that can also be enjoyed by all children around the world. A book with the intention to “foster and encourage imagination, equipping young kings and queens with the creativity and ability to overcome any obstacles in their way.” They retell, change up, and create past, present, and future tales from Black culture across the diaspora.
Crowned: Magical Folk and Fairy Tales from the Diaspora is a collection of folk and fairy tales reimagined — a sequel to 2021’s GLORY: Magical Visions of Black Beauty. The collection is in three parts: Classic (Western) fairy tales, African and African American Folktales, and New Classics. Along with the reimagined stories, there is exquisite photography featuring Black children.
In Classic Fairy Tales, a little mermaid realizes where her home really lies and a princess learns her vitiligo makes her uniquely beautiful. In African and African American Folktales, among tales set in Africa we find the story of John Henry, pictured when he was a young boy. In New Classics, we find beautiful skateboard and hip-hop kids. All stories share positive beliefs and powerful messages.
I devoured this book. It is so visually stunning, filled with magical storytelling, capturing the reader’s imagination from beginning to end. The collection not only revisits beloved classics but also introduces new favorites. The familiar tales, such as “The Little Mermaid,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Hansel and Gretel,” “Red Riding Hood,” and “The Poisoned Apple,” are given a twist that breathes new life into them. These revisions encourage creativity and empower young readers to see themselves in the stories they love. It also gives parents a fresh way of looking at the stories they grew up knowing.
If you ask any child about their favorite storybook character, they will have a quick answer. They want to be a certain princess or king. They want to dress the part too. The truth is, it’s normal for Black children to not see themselves in fairy tales and whimsical stories. But if those “normal” characters don’t look like the child who loves them, the child is often left with unrealistic standards of beauty and power. Black children deserve books where they can see themselves and fosters their creativity.
To change the narrative, the Bethencourts “wanted to reimagine some of our favorite childhood stories with our idea of what could be” (from the book’s description).
The Little Mermaid is Aliya, and self-sacrifice in the face of a mean girl saves the day. Snow White becomes Ebony Black. “She has lips as full as the moon, eyes dark like ebony, and hair as black as the midnight sky. Ebony Black shall be her name,” says the queen in the story.
Asha meets a young prince at a dance, but without him riding in on a white horse to save the day. A child named Red meets a big bad wolf, but it turns out to be all good.
Goldilocks learns to appreciate what she has instead of searching for perfection. Rapunzel has an epiphany that her hair is not her strength. “All her life she’d thought the magic was in her enchanted hair, but it was always in her, and no witch or spell could ever take it away.”
In the middle section of the book are classic folktales: the story of Anansi the spider is told, with patience as the main lesson. There’s a tale of a king with a magical ring in this book, a tale of a princess who wants a life “of adventure and fun,” and stories of a “lion’s gifts.”
Even if the Bethencourts had stopped there, adult readers could sit back and relax, satisfied that they’re holding one of the most creative storybooks money can buy. But the last section of Crowned changes everything. It is filled with modern classics, complete with skateboards, candy, cowboys, lessons on personal beauty, and an invitation to believe in “fairy folk.” This addition gives this book a nice twist for today’s child, who’ll definitely want to spend a lot of time engrossed in these pages.
The tales are only part of this book. They are richly illustrated with colorful costumes and backdrops, and its truly a feast for the imagination. Readers of all ages will be amazed by the dozens of photos accompanying the stories, each featuring Black and Brown children dressed in the most glorious costumes, in settings that follow the story and enhance the sense of magic.
I give Crowned a 5/5. It’s the photos that will pull a young reader in. It’s the stories that will keep them returning, whether they do it themselves or with an adult. Crowned encourages creativity, fosters self-esteem, and invites children into a world of magic and wonder. This book is truly a must-have for anyone seeking diverse and inclusive literature that celebrates imagination and the power of storytelling. This is a book that families can proudly display on a shelf or coffee table, and it’ll be enjoyed for generations.
Crowned is available on Bookshop.org where every book purchase financially supports independent bookstores.
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