Literacy, Representation, and Choice: Reflections on a Lifetime of Reading
by Kanika Mobley
As a child, I can remember our apartments being stacked from floor to ceiling with milk crates full of my dad’s collection of books and records. I was always surrounded by books and encouraged to read. The feel of discovering new books and sharing a great find with others may have been the reason that I felt a calling to be a teacher.
As an early childhood educator, reading time was always my favorite part of the day. There is no greater feeling than seeing a child’s eyes light up when they hear a story they love or jump in and shout a familiar refrain. I fell in love with helping kids discover their reading identities. My mission was to keep the library filled with high-engaging books so the children in my class would be motivated to learn to read them on their own. While we loved the books with animal characters, it was quite a challenge to find books that reflected the diversity of my students and their experiences. Not only did I want my students to enjoy reading, but I knew they would be more motivated if they felt seen, loved and represented.
While I no longer have a classroom of my own, I still love connecting people with diverse books and resources. In 2019, my college friend Vanessa and I launched Stories of a Colorful World. We wanted to increase access to children’s books, showing diverse representations of characters of color, highlighting the voices of #ownvoices authors and instilling a love of reading in our young people that will help them grow into life-long learners. Our website features hundreds of diverse book titles.
A little over a year ago, I met Seema and she told me all about Brooklyn Book Bodega. With a mission of increasing 100+ book homes in NYC, how could I not want to help out? My son and I volunteered at a few different events and the sheer number of people that were both donating and searching for good books was incredible. Although COVID has limited larger events, they are still fulfilling the important task of getting books into the hands of New Yorkers.
With so many kids stuck at home and limited library access due to the pandemic, I felt even more compelled to volunteer. From sorting and stamping books to finding the right picks for community organizations and schools, I feel I’m still doing my part in helping kids find those books that they’ll fall in love with. The other volunteers are so amazing and when you’ve been cooped up for months, it feels good to have another community to talk, laugh and discover with. I’ve discovered so many books that I’d never encountered before and also ones I knew little ones in my life would just love. I feel like a kid in a candy store every time I go. It’s also nice to think that the books we’ve carefully selected to go out to families could possibly hold a book that some child claims as their favorite. What a feeling!
Learn more about Kanika Mobley, literacy consultant, mother, 20+ year educator, entrepreneur, and Brooklyn Book Bodega volunteer.