Zoog’s Black History Month Collection: Stories that Educate and Inspire Kids

We celebrate Christmas, Eid, and other cultural and religious days every year and everyone knows about it but some days get celebrated on paper and nothing much happens in reality. Black History Month points to the most significant and dark chapter in our history but it’s often not celebrated like it should be. If we intend not to repeat history, we should first be familiar with the categorical events of our recent history. 

Black History Month, year after year, has highlighted the true resilience, courage, individual identity, systemic and cultural oppression, and contributions of African Americans to society. 

This year is a celebration of “African American and Arts.” This theme explores and celebrates the artistic contributions of the African American community towards the Arts. African Americans have a very distinct culture and cultural identity which gets translated into their work. 

Many poems and stories beautifully capture the essence and importance of Black History Month. “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou is one such poem that talks about strength and resilience against adversity and oppression. “The Undefeated” by Kwame Alexander, “Won’t You Celebrate with Me” by Lucille Clifton, and many other poems are great to have on your list if you want to educate yourself about black history and why it’s so important to celebrate it. 

At Zoog, we want to honor the achievements, contributions, and resilience of the African American community. We are celebrating this month by sharing four stories that pay homage to the African American community as well as inspire and educate young minds. 

Zoog’s Black History Month collection features:

• • Lookout Luthando

• • Dance Kagiso Dance

• • Serena

• • Martin King Junior

• • Rosa’s Brave Stand
    
    
    

Let’s explore these stories and why grandparents should have these on their February reading lists. 

Lookout Luthando

The title suggests that it would be an adventure-packed story. The story follows Luthando, a young and curious boy who has amazing listening and smelling powers, but he’s just a little clumsy and easily distractable.

He has poor eyesight and often bumps into things. The story shows us that all of us have individual strengths and limitations. 

While we should focus on our strengths, we should also take our limitations into consideration and find ways around them to live better lives. 

It’s an interesting read to help children identify their strengths and limitations and how can they learn to deal with them in their daily lives. 

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Dance Kagiso Dance

Kagiso is a story of a young boy who loves to dance but, like many of us, has stage fright. While he loves to dance, he struggles with performing in front of a crowd. The story is set in the African cultural expression of dance while helping children learn that it’s normal to have stage fright and you can overcome it.

Kagiso doesn’t give up on his love for dance just because he’s afraid of facing the crowd which is exactly what we should remember when we feel anxious about something. We should never give up the things we love just because we fear failure and what others will think. 

The story also gives out a great message that everyone has their own unique identity and they should never give it up, no matter the circumstances. 

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Serena

This story celebrates Serena Williams and her sister Venus and their achievements. The story revolves around a girl named Serena who dreams about becoming a tennis player. 

The story takes inspiration from Serena William and her sister’s life, and they both paved the way for women in sports, especially women of color. By pursuing their dream of becoming professional athletes, they have set an example for thousands of women in a very male dominant sport. 

This story should be on your list for your grandkids because what would be a better way to teach them the importance of going after your dreams, breaking the barrier, and going against the norm if that’s what is required. It will help them learn courage, resilience, and perseverance while keeping them entertained and hooked with Zoog’s visual effects.  

This is one story that I recommend everyone to read during Black History Month because it’s so important for us as parents and grandparents to teach our children about diversity and how we should always celebrate other’s achievements and learn from them. 

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Martin King Junior

Martin King Junior has set the course of history if we talk about peaceful advocacy. He was a Minister and civil rights activist, and he stood by his belief in equality and adopted non-violent resistance to demand equal rights for Black Americans. You can’t celebrate the African American community and their struggle for equal rights if you don’t celebrate the role of Martin King Junior. 

We want our children to have ideals and people to look up to and I think there isn’t a better personality than Martin King Junior to learn about the African American community and their struggle for identity. 

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Rosa’s Brave Stand

Rosa Parks set an example for others by demanding justice for her. She refused to give up her seat for a White American on a segregated bus. This act of defiance shaped the course of history and led to the Supreme Court ruling out public bus segregation as unconstitutional.

Her story gives out an important lesson you should always stand up for what is right. Her one act changed the course of history just because she believed in equality for all. 

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Why is it so Important to Celebrate Black History Month?

These stories aren’t just entertainment but they all represent the African community by celebrating their heroes and important historical figures. We live in a world that is increasingly becoming intolerant towards diversity and different cultures. In a world like ours, it’s our responsibility as parents and grandparents that make sure that our children are well aware of different communities, different cultures, and different identities so they grow up to be considerate, empathetic, and kind human beings. 

We do understand that we want our kids to learn about important historical figures and different cultures, and these are heavy subjects. For this reason, we decided to include these stories in Zoog’s library so parents and grandparents can read these stories to their grandkids using Zoog.

With Zoog, you can help children imagine and go through the stories visually and keep their interest. We recommend you record these four stories this month and help your grandchildren learn about history, diversity, and resilience. 

If you’re new to Zoog and want to learn how to make your stories fun for the kids, here’s a complete guide.