Ottawa author Keisha Cuffie published her second book aimed at teaching Canadian Black history to children in an engaging adventure story.
Cuffie, who is also a Carleton University student, wanted to write a historical fiction narrative that would capture young readers’ attention while they learned about important milestones in Canadian history.
Her second book, The Time Keeper, follows Tyra who goes back in time to the first Emancipation Day celebration in Canada, where she learns about the history and significance of the day.
Being an author is something she thought about for years, Cuffie told CityNews in an interview.
“I’m a voracious reader and I just love books,” she said. “I love sci-fi, I love fantasy — those are my jam.”
Emancipation Day, celebrated Aug. 1, was designated in 2022 as a historical event by the Canadian Government. It marks the end of 250 years of enslavement throughout the British Empire.
Cuffie works at Upper Canada Village on a Black history exhibit focused on Emancipation Day, which is where she got the inspiration for the book.
“It’s something that we don’t talk to young children about, we don’t tell them about the history,” she said. “We also dropped the ball in Canada and don’t really celebrate Emancipation Day, even though it should be celebrated as a former colony.”
A photo from The Time Keepers. (Contributed)
Blending a time-travelling secret society and illustrations from Ottawa artist Joy Aristride, made the book more appealing for seven to 13-year-olds.
Cuffie intentionally did not explain the stories of all the characters in the book to encourage parents, teachers and readers to look up the history and learn on their own.
“I want people to learn those stories, so I left those kinds of little crumbs to follow,” she said.
Cuffie’s first book was a love letter to Black children showcasing they too can be whatever they want. Her reason for being an author was “wrapped in tragedy.”
“It came about following the murder of George Floyd. It was a time when I said I can no longer be apathetic, I can no longer leave this to other people,” she said. “I am now the other person who needs to take up the fight and talk about the injustices that Black communities face all over North America and all over the world.”
Both books are set to empower young readers but also not shy away from difficult themes.
“It talks about how people are treated, how some of the characters are spoken to,” she said. “It talks about the anger and the irrationality of racism.”
Cuffie self-publishes the books, which streamlines the process. The Time Keepers was finalized in about six months.
The Time Keepers launched on July 26 in Octopus Books and Tag-along-Toys in Ottawa.