One of the biggest things I think we can ever do for ourselves is educate our children on what it means to be diverse. Diverse in mindset, diverse physically…diversity always breeds amazing things. Being a byproduct of a diverse heritage, background and upbringing, perhaps that’s why this children’s book, “When I Grow Up, I Want to Be Myself” struck such a positive nerve.
Not only is the book reflective of our present times and the rich diversity of shades we see, but it’s a testament to everyone loving themselves unapologetically. “I was inspired to write ‘WIGU’ when I noticed a lack of diversity in the character’s of my daughter’s book library. My daughter is Ethiopian with dark skin and curly hair, and I realized that only 1 of her 50 books had a character that even looked like her,” author Ashley Chambliss told TheBlondeMisfit. “I want to write books that feature African-American, Hispanic, other unique ethnicities who are under-represented in picture books and children’s literature. It is important that we diversify kids’ books so that young readers can relate to the characters they read about.”
And Ashley has a point. From a psychological level, kids need to see reflections of themselves in the dolls they play with, the books they read, and even the characters and actors they see on TV. As someone who grew up when diversity was beginning to grow but still had a lack of provoking, amazing black women in media and in literature, this book resonated with me in a beautiful way.
What better than your child to see themselves in a character? In this case, “When I Grow Up, I Want to Be Myself” is artfully crafted with an amazing message, beautiful artwork, and an easy read for all the amazing little readers out there 🙂 
” ‘When I Grow Up, I Want To Be Myself’ is a book about embracing diversity and the characters display a variety of cultural backgrounds in colorful watercolor-style imagery,” she said. But of course, the main character Naya steals the show. “Naya stands out from the rest of her class because of her bold-attitude and style. She realizes how fun it is to be an individual and shares her message about self-love to her classmates who rally behind her.” Now, isn’t that the very definition of a misfit?
In the currently tense political climate, now more than ever, our next generation of leaders need to learn about diversity and inclusion, as well as celebrate the beautiful skin they have. “I hope this book promotes social acceptance of different cultures from an early age and that it becomes a book that teaches kids and families learn to love our differences,” said Chambliss, who understands this significance even from a maternal prospective. “As a mom, it is even more important to encourage my child and other kids to be themselves so they realize they are all important and unique no matter their background.” We celebrate all the beautiful misfits out there, no matter what shade you come in. Here, we’re all welcome at the table, and this amazing book teaches children that they can be unapologetically them.
So, if you’re down to support the cause (which you should because this is a book every child should read), you can grab yourself a hardcopy online at www.acolebooks.com and on Amazon.
