Jessica eyed Buckwheat, reflecting on the message from her father.  Feeling a little remorse, Jessica caressed Buckwheat and promenaded toward the display case as her father trailed behind.  She lingered for a while to admire her classy female doll collection.  Sophisticated Lady fashioned a satin fusion evening gown, trimmed in black lace, with a black netted bow in her hair.  Satin Doll adorned in a glitzy satin blue lace evening gown accented with embroidered gold thread and matching headd...

Thirteen- year old Jessica, avid collector of black female dolls, received a big surprise from her father.  He gave Jessica her first male doll Buckwheat.  Jessica negative response led her father to teach her a brief history lesson about picanniny.     

      “Jessica, let me give you a little history lesson.”  Her father expounded as if he was a history professor.  “There was once a television show called Our Gang originated by Hal Roach, which was also known as Little Rascals.  It ran...

The idioms stereotype and picaninny are lost in translation.   People hear, see and feel these words yet ignore that these expressions are exploited in every form and fashion today. 

Buckwheat’s Journey… is a young adult fiction, with a light-hearted yet evocative perspective of stereotype/picaninny that addresses social skills, self-esteem, and bullying and conflict resolution.  Set in Chicago, Buckwheat re- enters the 21^st century as a doll and clashes with black classy female dolls beca...