Deeply impacted by what has been going on in the world, one Florida woman has made it her mission to spread messages of love, diversity and inclusion through books.
Ashleigh Taylor said the unrest that followed the death of George Floyd, and recent anti-Semitic comments made by celebrities on social media, fueled her to take action. As she began her mission, she decided that, instead of posting her thoughts on social media, she would call on her friends, family and followers to help her. Taylor’s initial goal was to donate one book a month to a teacher.
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“I figured, I loved hearing the diverse stories when I was in elementary school, and I figured, ‘Hey, these stories I remember to this day. Why not shape a child’s memory, their education, their values on how they view other people by providing a book to their teacher?’” Taylor said.
A little more than a month into her project, she had distributed 100 books to classrooms — covering topics from race, religion and gender — across the country, thanks to donations she’s received from all over.
“I’ve sent books to North Dakota, Massachusetts, Virginia -- everywhere,” Taylor said.
She ensures the books match the reading level. The teachers are grateful, Taylor said, adding that she knows the books can make a positive impact in these kids’ lives.
"What matters is when you grow up, are you going to be a good person who treats people well? And I think that's something that teachers have so much influence over, especially through reading," she said.
Two lessons she’s hoping the children will learn are: “One, that they have a positive representation of themselves so they can see themselves in a book and say, ‘That’s me,’ and they can look up to something. The second thing is, I just really want them to see that there are people out there that don’t ‘like’ like them, don’t think like them, don’t pray like them -- and have those people shown in a positive light.”
[Learn more about Taylor’s book project firsthand on her Instagram stories]
The list below is all the books Taylor has sent to classrooms around the country. If you’d like to help by donating books, or if you are or know a teacher who would love to receive a book, contact Taylor here.
- The Name Jar
- Heather Has Two Mommies
- Lon Po Po: A Red Riding Hood Story from China
- Whoever You Are
- The Flower Girl Wore Celery
- The Very First Americans
- The ABCs of AOC: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from A to Z
- Malala: My Story of Standing Up for Girls’ Rights
- Nappy Hair” (Dragonfly Books)
- Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story
- Melody: No Ordinary Sound (American Girl Historical Characters)
- Amina’s Voice
- Under My Hijab
- Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen
- Black Women in Science: A Black History Book for Kids
- Front Desk
- Jada Jones, Class Act
- Kimchi & Calamari
- Lin-Manuel Miranda (You Should Meet)
- Latke, the Lucky Dog
- My Family Adventure (Sofia Martinez)
- Mango, Abuela, and Me
- Other Words for Home
- Abuela
- The Rainbow Hijab
- The Butterfly (Patrica Polacco)
- Dumpling Soup
- How My Parents Learned To Eat
- A Picture Book of Anne Frank (Picture Book Biography)
- I Love My Hair!
- Sofia Valdez, Future Prez (The Questioneers)
- The Story of Civil Rights (DK Readers Level 3)
- The Story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Luciana (American Girl: Girl of the Year 2018, Book 1)
- The Princess & The Pea (A Story from Africa)
- The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher (Family Fletcher Series)
- The Story of Ruby Bridges
- All My Stripes: A Story for Children with Autism
- Inside Out and Back Again
- Barack Obama: Out of Many, One (Step into Reading)
- Blended
- Hurricane Child
- The Story of Frida Kahlo
- A Raisin In The Sun
- Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat: Candlewick Biographies: Ella Fitzgerald
- Night (Elie Wiesel)
- We’re Different, We’re the Same (Sesame Street)
- A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo
- The Boy In The Striped Pajamas
- Mrs. Katz and Tush
- Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World’s Fastest Woman
- Frida Kahlo (Genius Series)
- Michelle Obama: First Lady, Going Higher (Step into Reading)
- Wangari’s Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa
- We Throw Color on Each Other! (Cultured Kids)
- Skin Like Mine (Kids Like Mine)
- Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History
- Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
- Chicken Sunday
- Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World
- Chocolate Milk, Por Favor: Celebrating Diversity with Empathy
- Tia Isa Wants a Car
- Daniel’s New Friend (Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood)
- Koala Challah
- The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses
- In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson
- Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China
- The Sign of the Beaver
- Keith Haring: I Wish I Didn’t Have to Sleep
- Too Many Tamales
- I’m New Here
- Number the Stars
- The Persian Cinderella
- A Scarf for Keiko
- Dress Like A Girl
- Lola Levine Is Not Mean!
- The Story of Barack Obama
- Last Stop On Market Street
- Save Me a Seat
- Momma, Did You Hear the News? (Talking to kids about race and police)
- Chicken Soup, Chicken Soup
- Lucky Broken Girl
- It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel
- Playing and Learning Together: Meeting Mimi
- Just Ask!: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You
- Cora Cooks Pancit
- Kaya: The Journey Begins (American Girl Historical Characters)
- Esperanza Rising
- My Grandma and Me
- And Tango Makes Three
- The Dog Who Loved Tortillas
- Let’s Celebrate an Indian Wedding
- Bee-Bim Bop!
- Moti The Mitzvah Mouse
- Pink is for Boys
- Rebecca: The Sound of Applause
- A is for Awesome!: 23 Iconic Women Who Changed the World
- Dream Big Little One
- The Good Cadilac
- The Upstairs Room