Author's Note

I learned new things with each page I turned, like the importance of saving the environment with Heroes of the Vegetable Patch and the importance of friendship with Peanut Butter & Cupcake. These books had a positive impact on me, but not seeing any Iranian-American characters who looked like me had a negative impact – I felt invisible and unimportant. Even worse, if there were any characters representing the Middle Eastern, North African, or South Asian (MENASA) community that I belong to, they were portrayed in a negative light. What if all children believed this false portrayal of MENASA people? This was a constant worry of mine growing up. 

Now that I am older, I feel ready to take action instead of worry. I want to make sure young children have access to books with accurate and positive representations of the MENASA community. Just like they taught me, I truly believe these books will teach all young children compassion and acceptance, therefore reducing social stigmatization. Also, by reading about characters they can relate to, I hope MENASA children will gain confidence and be proud of their identity. I’m on a mission to make all of this happen with READ AND WRITE TO UNITE!

So, let's raise our bookmarks to changing the MENASA narrative, one page at a time. 📖💙

Sarina Marzbani, Founder✏️