NEW YORK — Everyone deserves to curl up with a good book, and New York nonprofit Hindi's Libraries is helping to make that happen.
During Black History Month, the nonprofit is mailing about 7,000 diverse books to kids across the country for free and Minnesotans can take advantage!
Kids will get a "Black Panther" novel or a book based on the movie "The Princess and the Frog." Both books are from Disney and feature characters of color. Hindi's Libraries has a partnership with several large publishers, including Disney Books.
About 2,000 people have already signed up to get the books, but they have many more to give. If your child is interested in getting a book, you can visit Hindi's Libraries' social media pages. On the pages is a Google Form you can fill out. You'll then get a book in the next couple of weeks.
DHL E-Commerce Solutions is shipping close to 1,500 books and Hindi's Libraries will take care of the rest.
"This person looks like me. Their hair looks like me. Their skin looks like me. Their beauty mark looks like me. I'm not alone in what I'm feeling, in what I'm experiencing. And that's a big part of what kids need to see in their daily lives," said Leslie Gang, co-founder of Hindi’s Libraries. "So these books I hope will allow people across the country who get it to really connect. Not only with the story, but with what they're looking at on the page."
Hindi’s Libraries started in 2019 after Dr. Hindi Krinsky died from Crohn’s disease in 2018. Krinsky was an English teacher, mother, and a huge bookworm. In her honor, family, and friends started the nonprofit.
The nonprofit does a lot of good work outside during this Black History Month giveaway. Volunteers package about 40 boxes filled with 30 to 40 children's books every week. The books go to more than 750 groups across the globe.
"Reading gives you an escape. Not everyone has the ability to travel or to go to that school specifically for what they need or want to do. But, books give you that power and that knowledge, which gives you that confidence to pursue your dreams," said Gang.
To date, the nonprofit has donated close to 415,000 books.
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