We feel seen when we discover ourselves in the pages of books.

And when those books and their stories become a part of shared experiences, we understand ourselves and others more richly.

At The Book Initiative, we want everyone to have the opportunity to engage with books that fully reflect the world we live in, in all its diversity. We believe that this is a powerful path towards creating a better, more just world.

Our mission is to increase access to books that represent diverse people and stories, and to use those books to foster confidence, build understanding, and inspire action for social change.

We are committed to advocating for compelling stories which reflect and honor our lived experiences in all their variety. Drawing on the amazing work being done by individuals and organizations worldwide to promote diverse narratives for every reading level, we seek out and highlight diverse books, authors, and illustrators to share with our local communities and around the world.

What we mean when we say “diverse”

In looking for books, authors, and illustrators, we define diverse as different from each other (as opposed to different from a dominant norm). We recognize all diverse experiences, including (but not limited to) LGBTQIA+, gender diversity, disability*, neurodiversity, different socio-economic positions, migration status, socio-political experiences, family compositions, and ethnic, cultural, and religious identities. Our focus is finding and promoting stories that provide meaningful space to identities, perspectives, and experiences—including common life experiences—that are under-represented in children’s literature.

*We support the social model of disability, which focuses on barriers in our social and physical environment that create a lack of equal access, stereotyping, and other forms of marginalization. Disability includes, but is not limited to, physical, sensory, cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities, chronic conditions, and mental health disorders (this may also include addiction).