Today’s Family Literacy Day and it got me thinking about just how important children’s books are. Even more important is recognizing and prioritizing diversity in our children's books.
Children’s books have the ability to encourage, empower, and inspire children everywhere. But I knew if I wanted my message to resonate with as many children as possible so they could learn to believe in themselves, I needed to prioritize diversity.
And I'm so glad I did.
How We Changed I CAN Believe in Myself
When I self-published
I CAN Believe in Myself, I had no idea it would make such a difference in so many children’s lives, and now that I’m re-releasing the book through HCI Books with the help of my best-selling co-author, Jack Canfield, I’m beyond excited.
But, this time around, we decided to make some pretty big changes.
New Illustrations
This time around we went with comic-style illustrations done by the incredibly talented Eva Morales. I must say, I'm loving the look of these illustrations.
More Resources
In addition to freshening up the visuals, we also added more self-esteem building exercises. Jack and I worked together to pack the back of the book full with resources and activities to help those children who really struggle with “I can’t”.
Prioritizing Diversity
But there’s one change we made that’s very important to me:
diversity.
Growing up as a young, hispanic girl from Bolivia, I often didn’t see myself in the books I was reading. Even in the background, it was hard to find characters who looked like me.
This time, I wanted to include an even more diverse cast for the new book and make sure every child could find themselves in it and relate to the message.
Why It's So Important to Me
One of the things I love about living in Canada is that we have so many amazing people in this country who come from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. It’s so beautiful to see everyone come together.
I know that,
when I was younger, I would have really appreciated a book like this.
That’s why I’m so glad Jack and I decided to team up for the re-release of this book. It turned out to be stunning, even more empowering, and full of beautiful diversity. I’m really excited that we were able to release the book and get it into the hands of children everywhere.
How You Can Promote Literacy at Home
Remember, Family Literacy Day doesn’t have to last only one day. We can choose to make reading and learning an everyday activity for our children.
And what better way to encourage our kids to read, learn, and grow, than picking up a brand-new, empowering book for them to dig into!
I CAN Believe in Myself is available for order. Click the link below to order your copy.
