"Children of the Night"

This scan features Children of the Night (1974), written by Edgar White and illustrated by Dindga McCannon. The 38-page illustrated children’s book chronicles the pleasures, dreams, and everyday experiences of a young Black boy growing up in the South Bronx. White’s storytelling draws from his autobiographical practice, reflecting his own life and the broader textures of Black urban childhood.

McCannon’s illustrations combine pen and ink with Letraset, an architectural transfer medium she used to create brick patterns, tonal shading, and layered textures at a time when color separation was done by hand. Certain scenes stem directly from her own memories, such as flying off a swing in Morningside Park. The clothing styles, bell-bottoms and platform shoes, capture the aesthetics of the era. Looking back, McCannon describes these books as part of an early artistic chapter in which children’s illustration allowed her imagination to “run wild,” even as the imagery remained grounded in the lived realities of Black New York life.