Why OurShelves? Be counted for diverse kids’ books!

OurShelves is working with local communities to help them get diverse and inclusive books into the hands of young people and families. Here, OurShelves’ founder and owner Alli Harper shares their mission.

My two kids, Anna (age nine) and Isaac (age three), have two moms. Like so many other children across the U.S. and world, they remain under-represented on most bookshelves and during most storytimes.

Who our children see in their books matters. It matters a whole lot. Research is clear that by the ages of two, children have unconsciously internalized racial and other cultural biases around identity – their own identity and that of others.

Families and children who are present and existing in stories are affirmed as “okay,” “accepted,” and “worthy.” The families and children who are hidden and less present in stories are . . . well . . . less “okay,” “accepted,” and “worthy.” Children’s books become one more place where the inequities of the status quo are re-enforced.

It need not be this way. What if we transformed our book shelves from being a tool that reinforces the inequities of the status quo to becoming a tool that affirms, models, cultivates, and connects our children to a worldview grounded in equity, inclusion, belonging, social justice, joy, and fun?

In a world and time where much feels out of our control, one concrete action we can take is to reclaim our bookshelves to reflect who we are and our values. We can ensure the bookshelves in our home, at our school, at our local library, in our healthcare offices offer “Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors,” as Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop describes.

We have launched OurShelves — and ask you to join us – because of three fundamental observations.

First, the high-quality diverse children’s books that do exist can be hard to find for everyday parents, teachers, librarians, and other early childhood caregivers who already don’t have enough hours in the day.

OurShelves is here to help. We connect the wonderful diverse children’s books that do exist to those seeking them. Our Curation Team combines the superpowers of librarianship, teachering, early childhood development, academia, psychology, the development of racial and other biases, and parenting to bring you the best available stories that feature LGBTQ+, racially and ethnically diverse, disabled, and feminist characters and families, among other under-represented identities in children’s literature.

The second observation that guides OurShelves is that there are not enough diverse children’s books. Period. Let alone those that represent the true and intersectional diversity of our nation and world’s children and families. This imbalance of who exists and who does not yet exist in children’s books is unacceptable and demands our attention.

What do we seek? We don’t just seek a token book every once and awhile. Rather, we envision a world where publishers publish, diverse authors and illustrators create, bookstores sell, and library, classroom, and home shelves offer a sustained and abundant outpouring of children’s books that actually reflect the incredible and beautiful diversity of our nation and world.

If we want to see a sustained and abundant outpouring of diverse children’s books, we must prove the sustained and abundant audience seeking them — which leads to our third observation.

There are enough of us to prove that sustained and abundant audience, and thereby to change the picture book industry, now. In 2015, a majority of children born in the U.S. were children of color. There are between 6 and 14 million children in the U.S. who live in households with at least one LGBTQ+ parent. There are more than 12.5 million Millennial moms who support diverse families like mine.

OurShelves is here to seize this opportunity, with you. But how?

In addition to delivering existing beautiful diverse stories to your door, we will document who and what stories you still want to see in your books, but can’t find. Please tell us here. We will aggregate that data and share it (anonymously) with publishers. Most importantly, we will support publishers creating responsive content by being able to purchase the books we advocate for in ever-growing numbers, thanks to our ever-growing numbers of members.

So when you become an OurShelves Member, you’re taking two concrete actions that matter:

• You’re ensuring that your children see themselves both affirmed and connected to the beautiful diverse world around them; and
• You’re taking a stand and being counted, with your consumer dollars, in ensuring that responsive publishers face increased opportunity, rather than increased risk, when creating more diverse children’s books.

Many of us bear scars from standing up for ourselves and our children in hopes that they will face a gentler, kinder, and more connected world. We have come too far, and the stakes are too high, to allow anyone to suggest to our little ones that they, their families, or others they know (or even don’t yet know), are not worthy of a place on OurShelves.

Join us. Be counted. Become an OurShelves member. Let’s change the world. One book at a time. One child at a time.

Find out more about OurShelves here.