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Ensuring diverse perspectives are accessible to all.

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OUR MISSION

Study after study has shown reading positively impacts a child's development. Even the mere presence of books in a home increases the level of education children in those homes eventually attain. But the content and characters in the books matter, as well.

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As children begin to form their view of the world and how they fit into it, it's important that they have books available that represent diverse cultures and races. Research has shown that the broader the array of cultural topics a young reader has access to, the more they recognize diversity as positive and as "the norm."

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Books are meant to open up windows to what is possible. They allow us to see ourselves in other worlds and step into somebody else's shoes. Our mission at the Loving Little Minds Home Library Project is to make sure those worlds and vantage points are accessible to all.

OUR STORY

We are a multiracial family based in Arlington, Massachusetts. Our family has a common love for books; it's what reliably settles our kiddos when the world around us gets chaotic.​

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Growing up as one of the only kids of Indian-American descent in her hometown, Simanta (Simmy) didn't have access to textbooks that told a fair story about people of color, and she didn't remember having access to books that told multidimensional stories about them, either.

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Both Kiran and Arya have been avid helpers of Loving Little Minds since they were 0 and 2, respectively. Now that they are a bit older, they love test-reading the books for all age groups and packaging them up—and sometimes writing notes for families to find on the manila envelopes. We are delighted that they've known the act of spreading joy and inclusivity through books as a family tradition for their whole lives.

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Loving Little Minds aims to bring multicultural children's books to homes that opt in to do so on a monthly basis so everybody can see themselves—and others unlike them—fully and fairly represented in the pages of a book.

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Simanta Buck

PRESIDENT AND CO-FOUNDER

Growing up one of the only kids of Indian-American descent in her hometown, Simanta didn't have access to textbooks that told a fair story about people of color, and she didn't remember having access to books that told multidimensional stories about them, either. She found that the limited access she and her surrounding community had to diverse perspectives had ripple effects—in how she was treated in the classroom and in how she often tried to blend in rather than embrace her own differences.
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Simmy works in scientific publishing by day and has always enjoyed telling and writing stories.

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Brian Buck

VICE PRESIDENT AND CO-FOUNDER

Brian Buck is an assistant principal at Weston Middle School. Growing up, he learned about BIPOC figures and voices often categorized as "the other"—a group of outsiders who were often portrayed as angry, fed up, and looking for change. Back then, he found his community only took the briefest glances at these voices, never stopping to examine them and make deep, empathetic connections. As an educator, it is his desire for all of his students to engage in the experiences of diversity.

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When he began teaching, he knew he needed to expand his resources. The need was simple: the faces in his classroom simply did not match the faces in his book. The philosophy that shaped his resources and curriculum eventually led to the ideas that helped to inspire Loving Little Minds: that everyone deserves to be a main character, that all groups benefit when we diversify our learning experiences, that BIPOC voices are American voices, and that Black lives matter.

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Marina Nasman

TREASURER

Marina's earliest and happiest memories involve piles of books. When she moved to the United States at age seven, Marina learned English by reading books from her local library. These books also provided a window into the lives of American families, helping her understand her new friends and neighbors. From there, her love of books helped her to explore new worlds, real and imagined.

Marina went on to receive her B.A in Psychology and an M.B.A. from Harvard University. She lives and works in New York City, where she can still be found with her nose in a book.

Marina is proud to be part of Loving Little Minds. Its mission is not only to inspire a love of reading in our youngest generation, but to provide them with a portal around the globe to explore the experiences, joys, and fears of different cultures, races, and ethnicities. Marina cannot think of a better way to change the world than to expand the minds of those who will one day run it.

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Juliana Walz

SECRETARY

Juliana is an avid reader who has loved books since she was little. Her first favorite stories were Goodnight Moon, Harriet Reads Signs and More Signs, and A Chair for my Mother. She now likes to read and listen to books about history and culture, as well as novels that have many adventures.

Juliana is thrilled to be a part of Loving Little Minds because she believes that the world is at its best when everybody can be seen, heard, and understood. America's literary canon has uplifted white and Euro-centric voices for centuries, which misrepresents our full story. She believes that to correct this mistake, there's no better audience than children, who may carry their favorite childhood sotires with them all their lives.

Juliana studied at Boston University and the Harvard Extension School. She now lives and reads books in Hudson, New York, with her husband and her dogs.

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  • How do I sign up to receive free books?
    Loving Little Minds prioritizes serving families who do not have access to diverse books. Every six months, we open up sign-ups to a new set of 50 families. These families will receive a total of six books over the course of the next six months, curated based on their age. Our goal is to be able to reach as many families and children as possible, and given our current funding situation, this is the best way for us to do so. Families may be placed on a waitlist. Interested in participating? Check to see if sign-ups for free books are currently open by visiting our sign-up page.
  • Can I gift a subscription to somebody?
    Yes! Many of our subscriptions are gift subscriptions. At checkout, please uncheck the box "Ship to my billing address" and fill in your gift subscription address underneath.
  • Can I pay for my family to receive monthly books?
    Yes, you can pay for your family to receive curated monthly books. For $19/month, you can subscribe to the program for your family to receive a monthly diverse children's book. You can do so anytime by signing up on our subscription page. Are you interested in helping another family who. may not be able to pay? For another $19/month, you can sponsor another family to receive a monthly book. To become a sponsor, please visit our donate page.
  • I have more than one child in my family. How many books will I receive each month as part of the free program?
    Each family receives one book per month. When you sign up, you can pick the age range (0–2, 3–6, or 7–9) for the books you'd like to receive. If you'd like to receive more than one book per month, you may choose to subscribe to the other age range offered.
  • Can I sign up to receive free books in a future round?
    Because we would like as many families as possible to benefit from the program, we currently are limiting each family to one round. If our funding situation changes in the future, we would love to welcome repeat families!
  • Where do I have to be based in order to receive books from Loving Little Minds?
    We currently are able to ship our monthly books to those based within the continental United States.
  • Is my donation to Loving Little Minds tax deductible?
    We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity organization, and your donations are both tax deductible and eligible for company gift matching. Thank you so much for your generosity! Find out more about giving at our donate page.

FAQs

FAQs
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