Together, we can change the world one book at a time.
Read Your World is a non-profit whose mission is to raise awareness about children’s books that celebrate diversity and to get more of these books into the hands of readers. With the alarming increase in children’s books being challenged and banned, it is more important than ever to give kids access to diverse stories.
We do this by donating books to reviewers and classroom libraries.
We provide book lists and classroom kits to help parents, guardians, teachers, librarians, and readers find the diverse children’s books that they need.
We also spotlight children’s book creators with our weekly Ig Live Interview series.
“Mia and Val–You both started a movement that will outlive you. Hopefully, one day will come when this celebration isn’t needed because it will have fully succeeded in its mission to bring diverse window/mirror books.” ~Annie Lynn Music
Read Your World is an online and offline celebration that attracts thousands of supporters, educators, parents, caregivers, book reviewers, and quality authors and publishers who join forces to shine the spotlight on diversity in children’s and young adult literature.
Celebrated annually on the last Thursday in January, this global non-profit offers a plethora of free resources, teaching tools, booklists, downloads, and a year-round initiative to get multicultural and diverse books into the hands of young readers.
To date, we have donated over 10,800+ books to underserved kids, classrooms, and organizations, and that number continues to climb.
We also create resources to help readers, educators, librarians, parents, and caretakers find the right diverse books that they need.
FIRST, a unique opportunity to shine the spotlight on diverse/multicultural books, authors, and publishers.
SECOND, a giant online book reviewing event —
Book lovers, readers, parents, teachers, librarians, and caregivers have the opportunity to explore lots of children’s and YA books with diverse content via online marketing that provides robust visibility for authors and publishers, book reviews, classroom kits, classroom book bundles, contests, giveaways, book lists, activity suggestions, and links.
THIRD, a giant networking event —
An ongoing mission to connect organizers, sponsors, co-hosts, bloggers, and others interested in expanding awareness of, and promotion of multicultural children’s books via our Virtual Party and Facebook Group.
FOURTH, an offline classroom, library, or gathering place celebration —
A chance for students, educators, and parents to celebrate diversity and multicultural books in the months leading up to, and during, the Read Your World Celebrates Multicultural Children’s Book Day celebration that is held on the last Thursday in January, unless it falls on Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 27th, in which case it is the last Wednesday in January.
FIFTH, a year-long literacy-based initiative-
That works tirelessly to provide books to classrooms, organizations, and under-served kids all year long via book donations.
Use hashtag #ReadYourWorld for social media.
Go HERE to be a book reviewer.
Go HERE to be a sponsor. We have various sponsorship levels and rates.
Go HERE to donate diverse books and help us get these into the hands of readers.
Go HERE to get a free book for your classroom.
Go HERE to find the diverse book you are looking for using our Book Lists.
Go HERE for our free classroom kits on a variety of topics.
Go HERE for our weekly Ig Live Interview series.
Go HERE to sign up for our newsletter.
Go HERE for our most recent Big Giant Linky.
Go HERE to donate.
READ YOUR WORLD | Community Support Statement
Read Your World embraces and supports diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility for our community of readers, parents, educators, and participants. It is our goal to provide support and access to diverse creators in all children’s book genres, to raise awareness of the barriers and inequities that have historically persisted in children’s literature, and to celebrate multicultural stories in which children of the world can find themselves.
Our scope recognizes diverse experiences and multiple inheritances in the effort to avoid a monolithic approach to distinct identities and cultures, including (but not limited to) People of Color, Indigenous peoples and First Nations, People with Disability and Neurodivergence, LGBTQIA+, gender and body diversity, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities.
This is a living document: we will adapt to shared knowledge and new terminology, intentionally expand our understanding of cultural competency, accept mistakes in ourselves and in others, and, of course, as we know better, we’ll do better. Our work is continuous and joyful.
Read Your World’s office is located on the traditional homelands of the Nonantum people whose diverse tribal communities share stewardship over this land.
When I was in elementary school, I read every book in my school library which took me two and half years but I never once saw myself reflected in the pages of a book. I started off as a children’s book blogger but decided to focus on diverse books once I learned that the number of diverse books had not increased in fourteen years. My three children are Chinese, Japanese, and Korean-American so it’s been a personal mission of mine to uplift diverse voices in KidLit. I believe books are the best way for children to learn empathy and fight against bias and racism.
Mia Wenjen, President and Co-Founder
In a world that is increasingly fast-paced and focused on so-called modern values, inclusion – to me – means acknowledging traditional cultures and our ancestral roots, peoples, languages, and cultures. In a time of great change and crisis for Mother Earth, this means recognizing and encouraging the indigenous view that we are all related and that everyone as well as our entire natural world deserves our respect and tender care. In solving the profound problems of these days, we need to embrace true inclusion, respect all voices, and seek solutions that create the best, brightest, and most sustainable future for all.
Daria Marmaluk-Hajioannou, Board of Advisor
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