From one island to another, N.L. author teaches kids about acceptance

He’s known for short stories, plays and non-fiction, but now this St. John’s author is throwing a children’s book into the mix.

Xaiver Michael Campbell’s debut picture book A Single Dreadlock hit shelves on Sept. 2, illustrated by Ontario artist Eugenie Fernandes.

The children’s picture book follows the story of Lovie, a young boy who moves from Jamaica to Spruce Cove, N.L. Over the summer, Lovie develops a single dreadlock he’s especially fond of, only to be teased when he arrives back at school. Eventually, the boy is able to learn to love his hair, and himself.

Though it’s his first venture into picture books, Campbell has been active in the research and literary world in St. John’s for some time.

Originally from Kingston, Jamaica, the author has called Newfoundland home for over a decade, and the story draws upon some of Campbell’s own experiences.

There could always be more stories about little Black children- Xaiver Michael Campbell

“I have the memory of, you know, people like, investigating your hair, especially people who aren’t Black” said Campbell.

“I had dreadlocks in Newfoundland over a decade ago, it was a much different time.”

As a writer, Campbell says he’s always thought about what one of his stories might look like in a children’s picture book.

“I guess thinking about all those things and putting all of those parts of my personality and identity together, the story came up,” he said.

Working in child care for years, Campbell read his fair share of kid’s books, so when it came to stories representing the experience of Black children, he figured, “the more the merrier.” 

“There could always be more stories about little Black children,” said Campbell. “So I was like, why not? Why not also try writing a children’s picture book?”

“A Single Dreadlock” is Xaiver Michael Campbell’s first children’s picture book. (CBC News/Olivia Garrett)A different kind of writing

Named a Canadian Writer’s Trust Rising Star in 2022, Campbell co-authored Black Harbour: Slavery and the Forgotten Histories of Black People in Newfoundland and Labrador alongside CBC’s Heather Barrett.

Despite his experience in other areas, pivoting to a children’s book provided its own challenges. Usually letting his work evolve over time as he writes, children’s books require a different approach.

“It’s so specific from the beginning.” Campbell said. “What, and how do you want to communicate that message to them — even your word choice is different, your sentence lengths are different.”

It’s not just simplifying something complex. He says kids can understand big messages, it just depends on the delivery.

WATCH | ‘There could always be more stories about little Black children,’ says N.L. author:

N.L. author tackles children’s genre with ‘A Single Dreadlock’ and a message of acceptance

Xaiver Michael Campbell’s latest literary project is about a young boy, Lovie, who moves from Jamaica to Newfoundland and Labrador, and develops a single dreadlock. Campbell talked to the CBC’s Madison Taylor about how he approaches big topics when writing for kids.

For Campbell, he relayed this message of acceptance and belonging through emotion, like when Lovie is upset by his peers’ behaviour.

“Sadness is such a relatable emotion,” Campbell said. “So being able to see that change in someone, especially in their age group, like especially another child … it feels that much more relatable to them, and you can get the message across a little bit stronger.”

Hair — it’s important

Campbell says hair is important, especially in the Black community. For Campbell, he didn’t experience his hair until his late teens, as he had to keep it short for school. He wondered what it would’ve been like to “learn to love it earlier.”

It’s important to Campbell for young children to know that their own hair is beautiful too. 

“Especially a little Black boy’s hair, just like honing in on that,” Campbell said. 

“This is a part of you, and it grows out of your head, and however it grows out of you, that hair is perfect and amazing. Because how can it be anything else if it’s just coming out of you like that? 

Campbell hopes the book’s messages reach further than the pages of A Single Dreadlock.

He hopes for a “more polite form of curiosity” from folks out and about.

“Just like that general sense of acceptance, and being able to embrace someone who is different, as opposed to making them feel that they are different.”

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.

(CBC)