Storybook Project

AHSHAY and World Reader, a digital platform for books with worldwide reach, are partnering to curate and scale the voices of youth impacted by systemic injustice. The Storybook Project provides youth with opportunities to work with children’s book authors to write their own books, offering them a creative platform to express themselves through original narratives and illustrations while they learn design-thinking foundations, storytelling concepts, and the publishing process.

Through this work, youth will create The Belonging Collection, a series of children’s stories that speak truth and hope to younger children, strengthening their sense of belonging at home, in community, and through peer-to-peer relationships. The Belonging Collection will be distributed globally through World Reader’s BookSmart app, reaching over 250,000 readers. This experience will equip young people with transferable skills, digital literacy, and connections to the creative industries, contributing to their career readiness and broader workforce development.

Beyond publication, this project aims to amplify the voices and stories of young people, contribute to research and understanding of children’s literacy development, and inspire parents to read with their children. Centering youth creativity and narrative power, the Storybook Project creates opportunities for healing through creation, life skills development, and intergenerational relationships.

The Storybook Project also includes a research component that explores how young children (ages 4-6) express their creativity, ideas, and visions for the future through bookmaking and storytelling. The study will observe how children’s narratives are shaped and supported by their families. In a unique intergenerational exchange, these young participants will also help inspire and inform older youth in the development of their own stories. The ultimate goal of this research is to better understand and celebrate the unique perspectives and brilliance of children.