Jamal's Busy Day -African American Children's Literature

Hudson, Wade. Jamal’s Busy Day. New Jersey: Just Us Books, 1991.




Jamal is a smart, strong, motivated, energetic, young African American who is shown making all the preparations for school that day. After getting ready and having breakfast with his parents, an architect and an accountant, Jamal goes to school. Throughout Jamal’s “busy day,” Jamal compares his “work” to the work of his parents such as doing reports, working with numbers and taking a crowded bus home. This book is written by an insider author, Wade Hudson, who is a co-founder of Just Us Books, Inc which is a premiere publisher of African American Interest books for children and young adults. Their website is a very valuable website for other high quality, authentic African American texts: http://www.justusbooks.com/


This book is labeled as apart of the “Feel Good Series” which is truly what this book accomplishes. Jamal is portrayed as an empowered child, who is very motivated and has a strong work ethic. His parents are depicted as serious professionals, who are both in much respected professions. The way in which this book is written sends a message to students that working hard pays off and can make you happy. It emphasizes a successful African American family through pictures drawn by George Ford. This book is essential in every classroom as a piece of diverse literature because it is a positive portrayal of an African American family that is not only average, but better than average. It encourages a positive self-image to African American readers while illustrating the characters in a realistic matter. It also promotes to outsiders acceptance and respect.