Providence Author/Illustrator Cornwall Driven to Improve Diversity In Children’s Books

Providence Author/Illustrator Cornwall Driven to Improve Diversity In Children’s Books

Providence’s Gaia Cornwall says she worked on her character Jabari for years.  The author and illustrator says she is excited and proud to see her children’s book “Jabari Jumps” published. 

Cornwall says she loves swimming and the water, and that when she was little, she always wanted to be a mermaid. That along with Olympian Cullen Jones, who was the first African-American to hold a world record in swimming, provided inspiration for “Jabari Jumps."

Cornwall says she wanted to write a story kids can relate to and get a message from, so the book is about courage, bravery and dealing with fear. 

Cornwall also addresses the children’s publishing world by adding diverse characters.  

“I’ve been wanting to illustrative books for kids for a long time, and I’ve definitely been aware in children’s publishing a lack of diversity, a problem of representation with people of color” Cornwall says, “so I was excited to have that represented in my book.”

When it comes to celebrating and showcasing diversity in children’s book characters Cornwall says, “we should all be supporting and working towards it as readers, as book buyers, as publishers, and as creators.”