Why it’s important for kids to see themselves in books
Here’s the thing – every child deserves to see themselves in books. Yet children of colour, those in wheelchairs, those who have Down Syndrome or cancer have very limited options.
Imagine a child named JUDE. He has dark, curly hair, big brown eyes, and the sweetest smile. Jude is in a wheelchair. He’s completely in awe of the underwater world and loves Beyoncé. Jude’s parents know how Just, Understanding, Daring and Exceptional he is. But Jude doesn’t see all that when he looks in the mirror. He doesn’t realise how unique he is!
And that’s where Unique You Books – highly personalised books for every child – come in.
Personalised books are nothing new in the market and there are some really good ones out there. But what’s surprising is the scarcity of diverse characters in children’s books in general, especially since we know that both parents and kids are looking for literary characters that kids can identify with. In fact, a recent Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report has shown that 76% of kids and 69% of parents agree that diversity in books is very important.
The lack of representation in children’s literature is a fact. But here’s the thing – every child deserves to see themselves in books. Yet children of colour, those in wheelchairs, who have Downs Syndrome or cancer have very limited options! This is especially worrying because research has shown that when kids can fully identify with a character in a book and its challenges and victories. They are more likely to feel better about themselves and the world around them. And it also helps them develop reading habits that will last a lifetime. That’s why we think it’s so important to tell diverse and inclusive stories to kids from a very young age.
Unique You Books is a start-up working to create highly personalised books that will help children understand and embrace themselves just as they are. We want to support kids to discover, value and love themselves. And in the process, to learn that everyone’s unique qualities are worthy of love and respect. Every child will identify with the heroes and heroines in our stories – including children of all colours, children with disabilities, those in wheelchairs, who wear glasses or children with cancer.
Helping kids to accept themselves is especially important in this digital era, more than ever before. Children are growing up with social media. It’s influencing how they dress, live and think. Social media has become so integral to their lives, but at the same time, it is promoting anxiety and lowering self-esteem, increased feelings of depression, poor body image and loneliness.
When kids scroll through their feeds and see how great everyone seems, it only adds to the pressure. But imagine if we could celebrate the unique traits of every child and help them understand and love themselves just as they are.
So what makes each of us unique? Our names and physical appearance certainly play a part, but more importantly, what defines us is what’s inside. Our character traits and our interests make us individuals.
Through the Unique You Books website, parents, friends and relatives will be able to create and order personalised softcover or hardcover books that are not just based on a child’s name and appearance. These books are special because they don’t just add a child to the story, but rather base the stories on the interests, appearance, name and personality traits of each individual child!
Customers will be able to create books by choosing from over 300 main characters, 180,000 illustrations, 3 story settings (the wild, the universe and the underwater world) and over 70-character traits.
Great books are like lighthouses – they help guide our kids’ imagination, navigate the challenges they face in life, and connect them to the world.
When reading Unique You Books, and their very own personal adventures, children will be able to recognise their uniqueness and their contribution to this world through imaginative stories of self-discovery, love, and friendship.
The more children know and appreciate differences, the easier it will be for them to accept, understand, and above all, embrace them. And when we join our kids in their imaginative stories, we may even end up becoming a hero in one of them. And who knows – these stories might help us rediscover our own uniqueness.
To bring these stories to life, Unique You Books has launched a Kickstarter campaign. Please help us by pre-ordering a book for the child you care about and join us in empowering a new generation of self-confident children who love themselves, but also have the capacity to understand and love others as well.
*Collaborative feature post
