Ringgold, who was born in 1930, grew up in Harlem where the book takes place, and incorporated the idea of the story quilt into the lively illustrations of Tar Beach while simultaneously weaving in semi-autobiographical details concerning a young girl growing up during the Depression. Ringgold, who wrote Tar Beach in 1991, was initially renowned for her art, particularly how she portrayed the black female in America, through a series of quilts she called “Woman on a Bridge,” which debuted at the Guggenheim. “She has a brother! I have a brother too!” or “If I were him, I’m not sure that I would try to trick the monster.”Ĭhildren want stories they can relate to, yet magical elements are also craved as an escape from reality only to find that the imagination is the child’s best friend, helping him or her to truly celebrate the power of self-actualization.įaith Ringgold, foremost famous for her status as a highly influential black female artist, accomplishes capturing the power of a child’s imagination in her now children’s classic, Tar Beach. Any parent or teacher is familiar with the read aloud session in which his or her audience, no matter what size, comments on the story from their point of view, or discusses how they are like the characters in the book. Children are the main characters and they live in a world in which they exert ownership. Many times in children’s literature, the audience is targeted through a variety of simplistic yet effective methods.

Faith ringgold tar beach art