Happily Ever Anboran

RONNIE ANDERSON, JR. AUTHORS INCLUSIVE FAIRY TALE BOOK SERIES

By Stacey Gualandi

Once upon a time—during Nevada Reading Week—I had the honor of reading to Miss Jones’ kindergarteners and Miss Stevens’ second graders at “Home of the Huskies” Liliam Lujan Hickey Elementary in Las Vegas. As a kid, I loved when my mom read fairy tales to me at bedtime, so I jumped at this rare opportunity to read to the under-seven set. (I’m a DINK!).

I chose to read “The Hairless Bear,” a magical tale about a bear who wakes in the middle of the winter to discover he has no fur. If you’re a fan of fairy tales, this may not sound familiar, but it’s just one of a brand new series of books aimed at inclusive storytelling by African American author Ronnie Anderson, Jr.

With titles like “Everla and The Stone Prince,” “The Candlemaker & the Moon,” and “Changing Beautiful,” Anderson Jr. has imagined amazing adventures for kids of color and beyond.

Anderson, Jr. is not a fairy tale writer by trade. In fact, he’s a certified clinical laboratory scientist who manages three Baton Rouge General science labs. But in 2017, he wrote his first story; within a year, he opened Rogue Star Publishing and released the anthology Five Amazing Fairytales, all set in the wonderful world of Anboran.

“Anboran is a healing project,” says Anderson Jr.

The 40-year-old married father of three daughters put pen to paper primarily out of necessity: there were no fairy tales featuring characters of color to read to his young girls.

“My 6-year-old daughter asked, ‘Hey, Dad, why aren’t there any Black princesses?’” said Anderson, Jr. “Other kids get their joy from more than one princess who looked like them, but at the time, being a little ignorant about princesses, I started researching and to my astonishment, she was correct. I wanted to give my daughters Black princesses. I wanted them to be able to enjoy other characters who look like them.”

So Anderson Jr. set out to make original, culturally relevant, and inclusive stories with Black heroes like Princess Beautiful and Prince Sakima. As a scientist, creating something from scratch “came naturally,” says Anderson Jr., and his many years studying Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Jewish culture helped make the magical world of Anboran a dream come true.

“In that world, they go through the same things that we experience in our world, but there’s no racism,” continues Anderson, Jr. “You learn they have the same ups and downs that we face here, but in their world, the moon can become a human, you can talk to animals, and there’s magic and wonder.”

Anderson, Jr. says he soon collaborated with a former Disney editor to turn his tales into illustrated story books because he wanted everyone to see and identify with his characters.

“I created Anboran for two reasons: One, I wanted people of color to be able to see themselves represented in the world of fairy tales; to know that they are normal and be able to say, ‘Hey, I’m okay, and I look beautiful too,’” says Anderson, Jr. “The second purpose was to give children and people outside of our community a chance to look through the windows of our stories and see that this company is producing a different narrative about people of color.”

“Anboran” is a combination of his last name, Anderson, and his wife’s last name, Bowman. He says this fantastical place also honors all the people who impacted his childhood.

“I struggled growing up. We were very poor and didn’t even know we were poor. We were like, really poor,” admits Anderson, Jr. “So I wanted the name to be magical, and I wanted something that when I promoted it, it would catch people’s attention.”

Anderson, Jr. just released his seventh book, and his first two book signings were packed with prepubescents.

“The people just kept pouring in and lined up around the room!” says Anderson, Jr. “They bought all of the books, and they were just in awe of what we were doing.”

Ultimately, Anderson, Jr. wants to turn Anboran into a global brand. He launched a line of branded apparel products available online at major retailers, including Walmart, Target, and Amazon; he continues to make in-person appearances and plans to branch out into animation.

“I want to make it be a family entertainment company where families can trust our content,” boasts Anderson, Jr. “I want Anboran to be a leader in creating a better world. I know what it’s like. I’ve been on the opposite side of the fence, and now I’m doing well financially…but I know where I came from. I want Anboran to be a bridge between communities.”

The books have already caught the attention of one famous father of 12, TV/radio host/rapper/comedian Nick Cannon, who welcomed Anderson Jr. recently to his “The Daily Cannon” live talk show on Amp!

“It’s just growing, and I know what this company is doing; it’s just what our world needs.”

If this scientist-turned-fairytale-writer gets his way, Anboran will have everyone living happily ever after.

To learn more, just click on anboran.com & barnesandnoble.com