Meet Yolanda T. Marshall: The Caribbean-Canadian Mom Whose Creating Caribbean Children’s Books
photos courtesy of Yolanda T. Marshall
written by Suhana Rampersad
“The more kids I meet, the bigger the influence. When I read to kids, it’s so beautiful when they go ‘next time, can you put this in the book?’ A kid even once said ‘it’s brilliant!’ I’ve also heard, ‘Can you make sure they’re wearing a T-shirt with a flag so that they’ll know it’s me?’ They inspire me when they give feedback as well as adults too. I had an 80-year-old reader who loved ‘A Piece of Black Cake for Santa,’ say she has all these different ideas. It really inspires me, hearing all these stories from different generations.”
- Yolanda T. Marshall -
Yolanda T. Marshall is a Guyanese-Canadian mother of one, who is making waves in children’s literature. Author of five children’s books and two poetry books, Marshall’s mission is to provide representation for young children of Caribbean descent.
Beginning her journey as a self-published writer, her books “Keman’s First Carnival,” “Miles Away in the Caribbean,” “A Piece of Black Cake for Santa,” and “Sweet Sorrel Stand” have sold on platforms such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Chapters Indigo. Her latest work, “My Soca Birthday Party with Jollof Rice and Steel Pans” was published in August 2020 by Chalkboard publishing. It focuses on the character Anne, who celebrates her special day with the various Caribbean, African, and Indian music and foods with all her friends. The story highlights the blend of cultures and unity amongst the children, who learn about each other through Soca, steel pans, Chutney Soca, Tassa drums, and Marimba music.
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Having grown up in Canada from the age of 13, Marshall is fond of Toronto because of the city’s rich diversity. When she became a mother to a little boy of Kenyan and Guyanese background, she was disappointed in not being able to find any children’s books that represented her son’s culture and ethnicity. That is when she made the decision to turn her talent of writing poems into storybooks so that her son and children like him could have storybooks that many women like Marshall did not have as a child.
“Our lives matter. [Caribbean people] have unlimited stories to tell. We come from diverse backgrounds, we are influenced by Africans, East Indians, Asians, Europeans, and we have so much to say. Our children deserve it. I found that a lot of books on the market covered the African- American life. There were so many books about playing baseball or the South. Parents bought it because the characters looked like them- but it’s deeper than that. I live in Canada where the majority of black Canadians do have Caribbean ancestry. So how are you not addressing that? It was just unbelievable! There’s so much more on a deeper level in the reality of my child. How many books have u seen with [Caribbean] kids? When you really think about it, how fair is that? These kids are so underrepresented. That’s why I focus on the Caribbean. It’s my story, my reality and I’m going to write about it. The books also include Kenya and Africa because my son is East-African too. When I speak of the Caribbean, my passion is there, and I write for the child that I am. Then of course I am writing to my child, and I pay attention to his reality. There are so many stories that we can put out there and teach others about ourselves. I write books that I wish I had, that I wish my friends had had, and I know once I do that, I will touch base on the younger generation easily. But that is my culture, that is my voice, and I will stick to it regardless. You’re going to hear something from the Caribbean or my son’s African background every single time, because that is my reality, and my focus will always be there.”
Having two self-published poetry books, Marshall wrote her first children’s book, “Keman’s First Carnival”which was released in 2016. She credits her son, Miles, as her biggest inspiration and purpose behind creating more and more cultural stories. As an author with drive and passion, her goal is to write a new book every year until Miles turns 13.
Initially, Marshall felt obligated to operate as a self-published writer, as the publishing industry rarely represented Caribbean children’s stories. She faced rather critical feedback when attempting to get her third book, “Miles Away in the Caribbean”on the market. Publications made it clear they were more interested in stories about slavery and African-American history. While such stories are intrinsically important and children must learn about these topics, it was not exactly representative of Caribbean children’s culture or diverse traditions. “My Soca Birthday Party” is the first to be published through Chalkboard Publishing, which Yolanda considers a huge success.
“I loved getting into the libraries because I wanted kids to have access to my books for free. After that, teachers were reaching out and saying “hey, do you want to do a reading, we love your book” and that’s when I thought “oh my gosh, it’s getting into the right trend, this is great!” It was worth it. It was worth publishing the books on my own. However, my old boss said, “that’s it, we have to get someone to publish this book”. He really did believe in My Soca Birthday Party and reached out to Chalkboard publishing. They read it, and said yes! And they don’t publish trade books! This was their first since they are an academic workbook company, but they figured this was worth it. I knew I had an audience, a community, and even if they don’t catch it now, in ten or twenty years they will. This is culture. This is going to be our history. This is reality, and it will still be relevant. So, I just knew I had to put it out there.”
Marshall’s favorite aspect of her writing journey has been the impact and representation she has been able to provide to children, teenagers, and even the elderly. Her books have been received exceptionally well. Older children express their wish to have had access to her books when growing up. Kids stare at her in awe when she reads aloud, and during school readings, children who are not of Caribbean ancestry tend to ask questions and want to learn more.
Marshall is now represented by PS Literary Agency. Her goal is to ensure parents can fill up an entire bookshelf with her inspirational books. She plans to continue creating representative and culture-rich storybooks for the inner child in us all. To learn more about Marshall’s books visit Amazon.com.
