‘Children will be what they see’: A longtime Philly book fair puts Black stories — and young readers — at its center

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When Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati created the African American Children’s Book Project in 1992 and held its first book fair at the John Wanamaker store in Philadelphia, she told people who asked for another iteration that organizing book fairs wasn’t what she did.

On a frigid February Saturday 34 years later, hundreds passed through the Pennsylvania Convention Center for this year’s book fair, shopping for books from over 40 renowned Black authors and illustrators and collecting giveaways from the event’s community supporters.

“[People] said ‘we need it, and we need it badly,’” Lloyd-Sgambati said. “Voila, 34 years later.”

Celebrating local authors, artists

Philadelphia native and Caldecott Medal winner E. B. Lewis has been involved with the book fair since its inception, when he was one of five original participants.

His illustrations appear in author Alice Faye Duncan’s “The Dreambuilder’s Blueprint: Dr. King’s Message to Young People,” which was one of the books featured at Saturday’s fair. The book depicts Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1967 speech at what was then South Philadelphia’s Barratt Junior High School, where he asked students about their “life’s blueprint”.

“Few children know this story,” Duncan said. “Most children know about Dr. King in Selma. They know about Dr. King in Montgomery. They know about Dr. King in the March on Washington. But few know about Dr. King in that six months before he died, when he spoke to children with a specific message to help them prosper in troubling times.”

Illustrator Kadir Nelson of Atlantic City, New Jersey, was another featured author this year. His latest book, “Basket Ball: The Story of the All-American Game,” contains almost 60 original paintings and took nearly nine years to create.

“It’s a labor of love,” he said. “As creators, authors, [and] illustrators, we spend a lot of time in isolation, developing our craft and creating the books that we hope to share with the world. [This] gives us an opportunity to interact with people who are enjoying the books and to learn from them and celebrate with them.”

Encouraging access and representation

Lloyd-Sgambati said that “giving children access and choice to what they buy and what they read” is the book fair’s main mission.

“This is a diverse audience,” she said. “You see both Black and white people; they want to know about Black history. The more you learn, the more we co-exist.”

Jaylene Clark Owens, who appears in the WHYY TV series “Albie’s Elevator,” based her children’s book, “A Black Girl and her Braids,” on her viral 2021 poem with the same title. She called the yearly event “incredible.”

“I wish that I had something like this as a child, but I’m so grateful and thankful that our babies have it now,” she said. “I hope more and more people continue to support this event and to support Black authors and illustrators.”

Philadelphia native and Free Library of Philadelphia Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Guy Sims said the fair is “a great opportunity to have a diverse bounty of materials for people.”

Duncan said that access to books celebrating Black history and culture are “one way to show [children] images of excellence [and] success,” adding, “children will be what they see.”

“When I look out, I see me,” Lewis said. “I see that little kid wanting to know who I am. For me, that’s what this is. It’s about an opportunity to give back.”

Support for event’s legacy

The event has received abundant community support over the decades. This year’s sponsors included PECO, Jefferson Health, Penn Medicine and Penn Libraries, local chapters of the National Association of University Women and The National Council of Negro Women, and multiple City Council members.

Philadelphia City Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson has supported the book fair for over 20 years — first as a legislative aide for former Councilmember Blondell Reynolds Brown and now as City Council’s majority leader. Richardson has continued Brown’s tradition of sponsoring an annual resolution affirming the council’s support for the event.

“To see so many families here, so many young people all bundled up coming inside the Convention Center to participate in this event, it means the world to our city,” Richardson said. “I’m so happy that Vanesse has continued this work for our young people and for families across our city.”

City Council Minority Leader Kendra Brooks added that the event turnout “shows you that we’re a city that wants to grow and learn.”

“I believe in reading. I feel like reading is a tool to help children explore a world that they may never see and give them the opportunity to want more,” she said. “This is an amazing opportunity for us to come together and celebrate knowledge.”

Lloyd-Sgambati emphasized that, while every participating author and illustrator has received accolades for their work, their creativity and their ability to tell stories were most important. She added that “reading makes you see the possibilities.”

“When I think back on the inception of what this turned out to be … you have a dream and you see it realized. That must be what it feels for Vanesse,” Lewis said. “Thirty years in, and I would love to have 30 more and to see it grow into something even greater than this, if that’s possible.”