Does it matter that little Tony is black?

[joshfee77]

I think it's great to see a young superhero who breaks the stereotypical "white superhero" mold. While his activities may be relatively mundane in this book, that doesn't preclude a sequel where he busts out some real superpowers. I don't think the author intended to imply that the only superpowers a black kid could have would be doing chores around the house.

[daniya__shah3]

That thought didn't even cross my mind. You interpretation actually made me ponder over this and you're right, the message seems ambiguous in nature. If readers look closely, it can be the exact opposite of what it seems to be.

[JR Mercier]

I think it's great that Toni is black and that there is more representation. WIth movies like Black Panther showing black heroes with amazing powers and a story of a little boy doing amazing things by being a good kid, I have hope for the future. I do kind of hope that he will develop powers later on.

[Callistus Ibenye]

This is quite an interesting question. I think it doesn't matter that little Toni is black. Achieving Superhero status is a function of qualities that a person possesses on the inside.

[Misael Carlos]

I don't think it is a big deal, although I was a bit surprised that it was not a caucasian who portrayed the superhero. But what I know is that it is politically incorrect to say Toni is black; it is politically correct to say African-american.

[Surakshita-11]

I feel Tony being black is plus point of this book. In traditional books most of the superheros are white thisis what makes really unique and special. Moreover doing household may not require some magic powers but definitely requires a helping nature. This will inspire children to help others and they may find superhero in themselves with no superpowers but good and helping nature

[ccrews0408]

I'm black and that thought never crossed my mind. I think, in general, people have the tendency to over think things and play the race card when it's not necessary.

[Okafor Prosper]

Wow, I certainly did not see it that way, but now you've mentioned it, I think the author should give Toni a superpower in the next book.

[Zain A Blade]

I don't think that Toni's lack of superpowers has anything to do with race. This is taking it a bit too far.
Anyone reading the book can clearly see that it is trying to show kids that they don't have to save the world to be superheroes, the job of a real superhero can be accomplished by helping mummy and daddy around the house.

[crediblereading2]

No! it doesn't matter. If you watch many movies and cartoons today, you see both black and white superheroes.

[Samanthajayne12]

When reading this book I never even considered anything about the colour of the children. I was completely focused on the message the story was given. It's such a shame that questions like this have to be asked!

[Mely918]

I think it's a good thing that Tony is black. We as a society have become too accustomed to seeing white superheroes on TV. It's good to give people of other colors a chance to be saviors.

[Jmar_la]

I love that he is a black kid and a superhero at that! I think it's a book that would appeal to my grandsons in a unique way. It's the story that should appeal, black or white.

[Jgideon]

I did not think about the race factor until I came to this thread. Well, whether black or white, the mind of any kid will not depict the race of the superhero so easily. Kids have a beautiful view of everything until some adult poisons it.

[Thedogmoxie]

Sometimes it is just nice to see yourself represented in a book. As a young child’s of color, most books did not have characters that looked like. The lesson in this book is that he can be a superhero by helping. I don’t think he is meant to have superpowers. So to the question “Does it matter?” I think the answer is yes. It matters because representation matters.