As a child, Fabian Ferguson was enthralled by the 1972 children’s book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. But growing up in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, he slowly realized that neither the story nor its characters reflected his own life.

"I may not have realized it fully then," Ferguson ’07 writes on his website. "But I was definitely looking to see myself in the stories I read."

Years later, once he became a parent, he decided to do something about it.

Ferguson’s writing journey began with an unfinished novel inspired by his eldest daughter. But it was the birth of his son that led him to create children’s books featuring characters who looked like his own kids. The first, Daddy’s Arms, was completed in 2017. Unsure if there was an audience for a story about a Black father and son, Ferguson hesitated to publish it beyond a passion project for him and his children.

Then he saw Black Panther.

"I still remember the feeling I had sitting there with my daughter, watching [lead actor Chadwick Boseman] and the other amazing Black actors bring this fictional Black utopia to life," Ferguson shared on Instagram. "There was also the joy I witnessed on the faces of young Black boys and girls, because they were given a superhero that looked like them; representation matters!"

Inspired, Ferguson published Daddy’s Arms and launched his own publishing house, F. Ferguson Books, to create and support diverse storytelling. Today, the imprint boasts five richly illustrated titles, each blending engaging artwork with meaningful messages.

"Everyone’s drawn in by the illustrations, [but the] parents are really captured by the messages or the stories that I tell in my books."

Ferguson, who majored in business administration and marketing, credits UAlbany for nurturing his creativity, particularly through graphic design experience making flyers for the Pan-Caribbean Association.

Fans of Ferguson’s work won’t have to wait long for more. He plans to illustrate his next book himself and the third installment of his popular Jackie series is set for release in 2026 or 2027.  

His best advice in the meantime? "Just write."

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