Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade team up for Shady Baby, a new picture book based on their youngest daughter, Kaavia.
As the youngest member of the Union-Wade family, 3-year-old Kaavia has already made her mark on the world. Her nickname #ShadyBaby is due to her unenthused facial expressions, which have often gone viral on social media.
The new book gives a side-eye shoutout to those who won’t share and teaches kids that it’s better to play together. When questioned about the book, the couple shared Shady Baby is much more than just a title.
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“We came up with the idea of the children’s book from Kaav. We’ve let who she becomes lead us. The more we were starting to see how folks were interacting with her and her page, we noticed how people believe she writes her own captions (lol) but that many people saw her and her ‘shade’ as ‘freedom,'” said Gabrielle in an interview with theGrio.
“So we wanted to develop a children’s book that positioned black girls as leaders and shade as their superpower. When you think of shade and think of Kaav being ‘shady,’ it’s because someone has not respected her boundaries or has done something she doesn’t like.”
“Shady Baby and the main character is just being evident on good behavior, bad behavior, and a little Black girl leading the account with her friends. It’s sweet and accessible, but rooted in freedom to lead, freedom to be vulnerable, freedom to see accountability as a great thing,” Gabrielle continued.
“It was important for us to find someone who can understand the essence of Kaav–her joy, shade, everything,” Dwayne told The Grio. Tara Nicole Whitaker, a Black artist, illustrated the book and captured Kaavia’s character to the T.
“BetweenWelcome to the Party and Shady Baby, we wanted to make sure we were using Black women illustrators,” Gabrielle said.
In a world where Black people are policed from a young age, it’s refreshing to see her parents. Her team allows her to be herself. Gabrielle and Dwayne hope their strategies can inspire this new generation of parenting. This is something we can get behind.
Shady Baby hits the shelves on May 18.
