In the preface to “Rudy the Smart Kid: The Gifted Boy Who Believes He Can Do Anything,” the new children’s book Dawn Charleston-Green authored with her son, Rudy Valentine III, Charleston-Green writes, “Representation matters,” invoking the impetus for writing the book.
“We wanted to present a book about a little Black boy who is intelligent, fearless and talented because he is,” writes Charleston-Green. “Unapologetically.”
The mother and son writing duo hosted book launch and signing Saturday at the Grovetown Library, with free food and treats, games and readings and photo opportunities. Attendees, which included plenty of children, took pictures with the authors at a table decorated with several of Valentine’s academic and athletic awards over the years.
“So you can see, [though] his is the title of this book, this is who this person is,” said Charleston-Green. “And he’s been doing this like his entire life, and it has continued to cultivate in this way.”
Valentine was in the top 15% of his class when he graduated from Grovetown High School in 2016. While there he played basketball, ran track and field and was top ranked in Georgia for both the long and triple jump.
In 2020, he graduated with a degree in mass communication from Grambling State University, in his mother’s home state of Louisiana, where he was inducted into the Earl Lester Cole Honors College for academically advanced students, was president of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, and hosted radio shows at the college’s Lab Radio Station.
“Rudy the Smart Kid” depicts Valentine as a child, and he and his mother discovering his giftedness, from humming his ABC’s at nine months old, recognizing cursive letters at age two, reading fluently at age three.
“It’s about your gifts… you just being yourself and being comfortable,” said Valentine, who credits his mother with encouraging him to welcome his uniqueness — another theme in the book. “That’s something that she always helped me with. She always helped me be comfortable with who I am and really embrace who I was. And this is what we wanted to continue to pass on.”
The text also highlights vocabulary words — such as “infectious,” “jovial” and “inquisitive” — with a glossary in the back, to help nurture curiosity in young readers to learn them.
“We want to make sure that we’re raising the kids up to think, ‘I want to know that word,’ look it up, use it in a sentence,” said Charleston-Green.
“Rudy the Smart Kid” is her second children’s book, which she wrote simultaneously with the first one published, a 2022 American Book Fest Best Book Award Finalist entitled “Heeeyy Dandelion!” about her daughter Anasia.
Charleston-Green, who had Rudy while stationed with the Army at Fort Gordon, has worn and continues to wear several hats, including (but not limited to) English teacher, counselor and minister. She began writing Christian devotionals for women, and a blog for her women’s group Dawn of a New Day 369, titled “Bloom Wherever You Grow, Dandelion,” along with a related discussion with her young daughter, would inspire her to write the book.
“I had that conversation with her about the resilience of a dandelion,” said Charleston-Green, who would realize that she could translate that interaction into a children’s book. When “Heeeyyy Dandelion!” proved successful, she said, “the devotional took off with it.”
Valentine is now a content creator and comedian based out of Houston, and the CEO of a media production company, Goatgang Entertainment (a reference to the idea of being “the GOAT,” or “Greatest of All Time,” in a given field or endeavor, another indication of persistent belief in self-confidence that runs in the family).
The book is not only about Valentine’s experience as a gifted child, but about celebrating everyone’s unique capacities and potential.
“It’s not just you being smart, it’s not about what your grades are,” said Valentine. “Everyone is gifted…one must both understand and embrace that gift, whether those around them understand it, embrace it, or not. When it’s a God-given gift, others don’t necessarily have to validate it, because the gift only belongs to you.”
For more on “Rudy the Smart Kid,” and Charleston-Green’s other books, visit www.rudythesmartkid.com.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
