We are a Minnesota company dedicated to promoting, increasing, and supporting diversity in children's literature in the publishing industry and promoting more diverse young writers and illustrators.
We specialize in designing and developing culturally and linguistically responsive books, materials, and resources for English and Spanish-language learner children (ELL & SLL). Our titles include paper books and e-books on literature, poetry, educational materials, and parenting materials. We are also very skilled in crafting a culturally relevant message and content to raise awareness, inform and educate the community on a particular topic or project, using:
- Posters, flyers, and brochures
- Promotional materials - Items such as caps, T-shirts
- Booklets or other reading material
- webpage, and interactive sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube
- Community outreach, community events
- Exhibits and public art
- Videos clips with specific messages about social, health, education, issues, etc.
- Our primary goal is to facilitate resources and space to develop every child's love of reading and writing.
- We aim to produce and promote more diversity in children's literature so that all children can see themselves reflected in the stories and books they read.
- We are ambitious about developing new strategies and approaches to reach out and engage more children, particularly those with limited resources outside of school.
- We work effectively through and alongside our school districts, organizations, and local partners to increase our impact.
The Challenge
Unfortunately, diverse and inclusive children's books are minimal. The statistics highlight the enormous challenge we are facing:
- Of all children's books published in 2018, most protagonists were white (50%), followed by animals (27%). Only 10% were African American; not even 5% were Latino.
- Black, Latino, and Native American authors wrote only 7% of new children's books published.
- Inclusive children's literature featuring physically and intellectually diverse characters—characters who have been labeled disabled—remains rare. Furthermore, the existing texts often follow tropes of pity or dehumanization. These texts have also been widely criticized for their disproportionate representation of white male characters with prostheses.