In 2016 there were 3,400 children’s books published for children.  Only 8.4% of those kids’ books featured an African American main character. 7% featured an Asian  main character, 5% had a Latino main character, and less than 1% featured an American Indian.

Essentially, those stats mean a child is 4 times more likely to see a dinosaur in a picture book than an American Indian and 2 times more likely to see a rabbit than an Asian character. We live in a diverse world. Shouldn’t our children’s stories and books reflect that?

Reading is how we discover who we are and what we can be.  Diverse books help kids define those ideas for themselves.  They make us feel seen, understood, and help build empathy.

We exist to fill that gap. Just Like Me understands that reading is the cornerstone on which the American dream is built, and that the best way to turn a non-reader into a reader is to provide them with the best books to read   as well as repeated opportunities that are engaging and culturally relevant.  We work directly with parents and educators to increase exposure to more diverse children’s literature, support classroom instruction, and create opportunities to integrate technology, giving kids the skills necessary to be active participants in our global community. The library becomes a place of active exploration and discovery as opposed to a place to passively absorb.

Children cannot achieve what they cannot see. Our goal is to make sure every child has an opportunity to see themselves reflected in literature, because as our motto states, If I can see it I can achieve it!