Artist Faith Ringgold (b. 1930) is of the same generation as my parents, and their biographies are certainly different. She was born in Harlem and raised during the Harlem Renaissance. My parents were born in small, midwestern towns and raised in quiet little houses. Despite the difference, I think my mother (now deceased) and Ringgold would’ve gotten along just fine, because their personal narratives would have found authentic intersections.
I highly recommend Ringgold’s book, Tar Beach (1991), to you. It received a Caldecott Honor and won the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration. Tar Beach first appeared as a story quilt, now in the permanent collection of the Guggenheim. The text and illustrations of the picture book combine to create a fanciful world—a young girl dreams of flying over the cityscape and its landmarks—affectionately grounded in a specific time and its history. Tar Beach will trigger your memory and your child’s imagination. My mother’s “Tar Beach” may have been a rural parsonage yard, surrounded by pastures and fields, a place where she could fly above lonely houses and farmsteads.

“I will always remember when the stars fell down around me and lifted me up above the George Washington Bridge.”