Timi Bliss is a Black author, artist, and creator born and raised in South Minneapolis. Her granddaughter, Charlie, stars in all of her books. But before she earned the title of published author and grandmother, Timi was a mother walking into a bookstore. 

In 1995, an ad for the Half Price Books “Say Goodnight to Illiteracy” bedtime story contest caught Timi’s eye. She regularly enlisted the Sandman in her daughter’s bedtime routine to lull her to sleep. She set her story to rhyme and with nervous excitement submitted her manuscript, In Search of the Sandman, to the contest. Much to her delight, Timi’s book was selected as a semifinalist.

While Timi continued to tell her daughter her bedtime story, the written version of In Search of the Sandman remained untouched for decades. That changed when Timi’s granddaughter, Charlie, was born. Timi revisited the manuscript and took it a step further. She illustrated and published her story, and she made Charlie the star. 

Following the book’s publication in 2017, Timi had modest expectations. She assumed she would be the book’s top consumer, purchasing copies herself to distribute to friends and family. To her surprise, In Search of the Sandman’s release was met with enthusiasm and encouragement. “They all rallied and showed support around this unlikely endeavor of mine,” Timi says. The book quickly became a beloved part of her community.

Moved by her book’s reception, Timi realized In Search of the Sandman provided needed representation for children of color. She was helping kids find belonging. 

“When people asked for another book, I took them seriously,” Timi shares. She started a new project, this time with a defined purpose – to help Black and Brown children see themselves reflected positively in a story. 

Growing up, Timi didn’t have many books featuring Black characters. “I’m not in the pages of a lot of these classical children’s books from the 70s,” she says. She cherished the rare stories with characters who looked like her, passing them down to her daughter and granddaughter. While diversity in children’s literature has come a long way since Timi’s childhood, there are still racial disparities in representation. In 2023, only 12% of books featured Black or African primary characters, compared to 28% for White characters and 36% about animals or objects (Cooperative Children’s Book Center).

Timi’s work powerfully counters the lacking representation of Black stories in children’s literature. “I just want my books in the hands of Brown kids,” Timi says. “And non-Brown kids along the way.” She wants all children to see positive representations of their everyday lives in books and recognizes the importance of providing windows into lives different from their own.

In contrast to Timi’s childhood, Charlie has perfect mirrors of her own life experience in her library—books where she is the star. Timi hopes her books help all children of color feel seen, heard, and valued, and most importantly, that they belong. 

To purchase Timi’s work, visit timibliss.com. To give your own child the perfect mirror, check out The Magic in Me and become a book’s primary character.