New Children’s Book on the Black Pioneer of Time Travel

A new children's book scheduled to be released this summer will chronicle the life of Dr. Ronald L. Mallett. Ronald Mallett is one of very few tenured, full professors of physics in the country. What makes him even more rare is that he is one of even fewer tenured, full professors of physics who is African American. 

While his credentials are impressive enough, what is truly newsworthy is that Dr. Mallett is one of the world leaders in time travel research. He currently has a patent on a time travel machine. Like many people, Ronald Mallett became fascinated by the idea of time travel as a child. However, his interest was surprisingly practical. Ronald's father died when he was very young. After learning about time travel through fiction, he thought that building a time machine would be a way to travel back in time and save his father's life. His childhood fantasy grew into a reality of sorts. While he is not likely to be traveling back in time to save his father, he has certainly advanced our understanding of time travel and substantially advanced time travel technology. 

The forthcoming children's book, Ronnie's Great Idea, is a biographical fiction that presents key events in Dr. Mallett's life through a fictionalized story. The book begins with Ronald as a young child and ends with him as a university professor. The story describes challenges faced by the main character. In the face of these challenges, it is his drive to create a time machine and the support of his family that help him to persist. 

Stories like that of Dr. Mallett are too little known. It is difficult to see the power and potential we have as a race when our heroes are not shown and their stories are not told. Ronnie's Great Idea is a powerful departure from the norm. It is a valuable resource for Black children and adults alike.

Ronnie's Great Idea is scheduled to be released this summer. Parents and educators who are interested in this and other titles can visit www.BlackKidsRead.com and sign-up to join the Black Kids Read family. Members of the Black Kids Read family can also choose to receive the Blacks in Science Mini-Course on Dr. Ronald L. Mallett. The mini-course is free of charge. It includes: word puzzles, coloring pages, interviews with practicing scientists, and articles that can be used to help children of all ages learn more about Blacks in science.

Jomo W. Mutegi, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Science Education at the Indiana University School of Education in Indianapolis. He is also the author of Ronnie’s Great Idea. To learn more about this or other science-related books and educational material for Black children, visit Black Kids Read at: www.JomoMutegi.com.

Black Archaeologist (DVD)

A Product Review

The Shout Out. Allow me to commence by “giving a shout out to my peeps at Children’s Books by African American Authors and Illustrators.” Children’s Books by African American Authors and Illustrators is a Facebook group and it is an excellent resource for parents of Black children. The manager of Children’s Books by African American Authors and Illustrators also maintains a webpage called Inside the Books. It too is an excellent resource for parents of Black children. Check them out!

The Product. I learned of Black Archaeologist through Children's Books by African American Authors and Illustrators. Black Archaeologist is an animated series that features the adventures of a character simply named, Black Archaeologist. According to the description provided on the website, Black Archaeologist "…is a cross between Batman, Huey P. Newton, and Shaft." Throughout the series, Black Archaeologist is on a mission to "…enlighten the world about the hidden historical facts about Black people in spite of the evil plans of ‘The Society’ to silence him."

The Excitement. My first response to Black Archaeologist was pure excitement. I thought I had found an entertaining and educational resource for Black children. I visited the Black Archaeologist website. I watched a few clips of the Black Archaeologist series on YouTube. Then I ordered season one of the series.

The Disappointment. When my DVD arrived and I watched it, I was very disappointed. I will share three reasons for my disappointment in this review. My first reason is that the cartoon series contains unnecessary and excessive vulgarity. Each of the 12 episodes contains at least one instance of sexual innuendo or profane language. Many episodes contain multiple instances. One reason for my initial excitement about Black Archaeologist was that as a parent, I thought it would be a good resource. I thought it would be a departure from the excessive, sexual innuendo and indecency that is so pervasive in media currently being marketed to children. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

My second reason for disappointment was that the "episodes" are extremely short. The 12 episodes have a mean run time of 6 minutes 22 seconds. The shortest episode is 2 minutes 37 seconds. The longest episode is 15 minutes 41 seconds. When I visited the website prior to purchasing the DVD, I thought I was looking at trailers for each episode. After making my purchase, I realized that I was actually looking at full episodes.

My third reason for disappointment was the animation quality. The animation style is an old style. It reminds me of the Star Blazers series that was produced in 1979 and throughout the 1980s. Now in fairness, this is not a big area of disappointment. I saw examples of the cartoon prior to making a purchase, so I was aware of the animation quality. Because there is so little media for Black children, I was willing (even excited) to have a good resource despite an older style of animation. However, after sitting through the vulgarity and the oddly short duration of each episode, I no longer had a good reason to overlook a 35 year-old animation style.

The Recommendation. In short, I would not recommend Black Archaeologist as a resource for Black families. However, I do encourage others to see for themselves. Episodes are available on the Black Archaeologist YouTube channel. Choose wisely.

And remember... Have Fun!

Jomo W. Mutegi, Ph.D. is an author of science-related children’s books, and an Associate Professor of Science Education at the Indiana University School of Education in Indianapolis. He is also a member of the (ES)² Research Program. To learn more about Dr. Mutegi’s books, visit www.JomoMutegi.com. To learn more about Dr. Mutegi’s research, visit www.ES2RP.org.

Tell Me Who I Am: The Journey Begins (DVD)

A Product Review
 
The Lookout. Like many African American parents, I am often on the lookout for books, music, toys, videos and other products made for African American children. I am especially excited when I see products that present African American people in a positive light and that speak to issues important to people of African descent. This is one reason that I began writing books for African children.
The Product. In the past few months I have come across a number of products that are created for children of African descent. One product that I found to be an excellent resource is a cartoon called Tell Me Who I Am.
The Story. The story's main character, Nia, is a princess from Timbuktu. As the story begins, Nia's people are being attacked by a villain named Komo. Nia is given a necklace that contains ancient secrets, and she is charged with protecting these secrets from Komo. Nia and a companion named Funzi escape in a time machine. Throughout the story, Nia and Funzi travel to both 21st Century America and ancient Kmt, where they meet Imhotep. The friends they meet along the way help them to escape Komo and learn more about African people.
The Quality. The cartoon has a very high quality of production. There is plenty of great music throughout the story. The illustrations are bright, attractive and compelling. For the most part, the characters are good representations of African people. The story also provides strong emphasis on the scientific and historical accomplishments of African people. One oddity is the presence of two token caucasian kids in the story. Their characters do not seem to be necessary. The story would work well without them.

Tell Me Who I Am was developed by Darryl Grayson, who is a former BET executive. The company website indicates that Mr. Grayson has invested over $1.5 million in the development of this product. As far as I can determine, only one episode has been created. However, it is clear that Mr. Grayson created the story with the idea of having multiple episodes.
The Recommendation. I purchased two copies of the video, one for myself and one to gift. I highly recommend it. You can learn more by visiting www.kidpositive.com. An accompanying activity book is also available. This is definitely a product worth trying. If you do get a copy, let us know how you like it.

And remember... Have Fun!


Jomo W. Mutegi, Ph.D. is an author of science-related children’s books, and an Associate Professor of Science Education at the Indiana University School of Education in Indianapolis. He is also a member of the (ES)2 Research Program. To learn more about Dr. Mutegi’s books, visit www.JomoMutegi.com. To learn more about Dr. Mutegi’s research, visit www.ES2RP.org.