You know we sell books to diversify the bookshelves of families and schools. Our mission is clear and we’ve sold more than 21,000 books this year to achieve this, but the other part of our mission is to tell people why it’s important and that’s where appearing in the press really helps. Some people may not have noticed the content of the books their kids are reading, may not know why it’s important or may not know where to start. A diverse bookshelf is as important as a balanced diet. When we get opportunities to talk about this in the media, we take them. And there have been a few this year.
Have a look at some of our brilliant press appearances below!
The Anti-Influencer
It all started with a since deleted tweet. Actor and political spokesperson Laurence Fox took screenshots from our website and made reference to moronic white birds, ridiculing us for selling inclusive kids’ books.
Supporters recognised our website in the picture and encouraged people to come and buy books, in support.
To welcome them and as a token of appreciation, Lynsey created a discount code, LFOX10 that gave them customers money off all of their purchases right across the site. Laurence Fox helped us to sell hundreds of books that weekend.
The story was covered in The New Statesman, The Bookseller, The Metro, see featured image and in an op-ed that Lynsey wrote for the Bookseller, linked to in the title.
My London
In this interview, Lynsey talked about our origin story. As well as this, she reiterated the alarming fact that one in eight schools do not have a library, a number which rises to one in four in more disadvantaged areas. We’ve discussed the importance of primary literacy levels twice on our blog (here and here) because it is such a serious issue. To tackle this, Little Box of Books created school bundles. These are bigger boxes can be sent to schools to aid them in diversifying their bookshelves. As we told My London, diverse children’s books have the power to be the building blocks of a fairer, more socially considerate society.
Designed for 7-14 year-olds, First News keeps children up-to-date on the workings of the world. It is really exciting to be a part of press that is children themselves will engage with.
In our article, Lynsey had the chance to directly write to children about why having a diverse bookshelf is so essential.
She wrote about how books can be windows and mirrors. They are windows in that they can give us insight into a perspective totally different from our own. And they are mirrors because they reflect something familiar in our own lives.
Lynsey offers five tips for diversifying your bookshelf: from making sure the authors themselves are from a variety of backgrounds to looking for stories where diversity is incidental to the plot, rather than the sole focus of the narrative. The children offered their top ten favourite books, featuring the usual suspects like Harry Potter, and we offered up our top ten favourite books. Ours featured A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll and Me, My Dad, and the End of the Rainbow by Benjamin Dean.
Small Business Saturday
It is so easy to get taken in by big companies like Amazon and their Black Friday Deals. They can afford to slash prices. Small Business Saturday is about empowering those of us that can’t join those big selling occasions. This November, small businesses (including us) gathered in Brixton. We bought attention to how life has become unpredictable for small businesses in the pandemic. The Evening Standard spoke to Lynsey there.
The Times
It’s been no secret that this year has been a tough one for small businesses. It’s been so hard to predict stock levels and even how much cardboard we need to preorder. In this piece Lynsey talked to The Times journalist James Hurley about the uncertainties of small business life, post Brexit, during a global pandemic.
Christmas
This year we have featured in The Sun’s round up of the 9 Best Kids Subscription Boxes. Many of the companies featured on this list are small businesses like us, and we recommend checking them out. Subscription services means that there is something exciting for your child to look forward to every month – they’re not just hanging around for birthdays.
Red Online made a list of 8 meaningful Christmas gifts for kids. This is a great list for steering away from plastic toys that they will forget about in due course. These ideas will stimulate kids’ minds a little more. Female First created their own list of more outside-the-box Christmas ideas (though we’re very much in the box, and that box is little).
Little Box of Books was part of Love Money’s Eco-friendly Christmas gift boxes: which ones offer good value for money? article. We received praise for our Love Your Planet bundle – perfect for raising environmentally conscious kids.
The Express included us on Christmas gift ideas: Where you can find the best of British presents this year. Although Christmas-buying is drawing to a close (though we sympathise with rushing out on the 24th), there are still some great small businesses to keep in mind for future gift-giving.
We’ve also been in Heat and Closer’s Christmas gift-guides.
We are delighted that the media thinks we are worthy of a place under your Christmas trees.
Influencers
It’s not been all about the anti-influencers. We have, of course, had some wonderful support from influencers who really believe in our cause. NotSoSmugNow has a fantastic Instagram on navigating adulting, parenting, and mental health and has shouted about us really loudly. The Scummy Mummies featured us on their Instagram Stories and in their podcast, llinked here, go to 33 minutes if you want to hear it. Carrie from Mere Soeur, the coolest of all the business owners gave us a shout out earlier in the year.
The Founder of the original #stronggirlsclub, Gemma is all about empowering young girls and women with positive messages of strength and empowerment. She has the most self-esteem boosting gifts for children (and adults) on her website, muthahoodgoods. The values of Muthahood and Little Box of Books are aligned: empowering young people. So we are super glad to have their support.
FiveMinuteMum understands how busy and hectic our lives are and provides insight into how to keep your kids entertained when it feels like there are not enough hours in the day. We’re so glad that she loves our books.
In Conclusion…
We have always been sure of our mission. We want to diversify children’s bookshelves. Diversity means stories featuring disabled characters, deaf characters, LBGTQIA+ people, people from different ethnic backgrounds, and those that belong to different family set-ups. Principally, stories that empower children. Effective representation inspires children to believe that they can be a part of the narrative too.
Having so much press this year means we reach a much bigger audience and can have a much bigger impact.