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Diverse Book Baskets

Diverse Book Baskets

Bringing diverse stories and characters into homes, classrooms, and community spaces.

About the Baskets

The MAR Education Advocacy Team, comprised of Teachers, Educational-Assistants, Administrators, and parents, have curated lists of age appropriate, culturally diverse books for children from Preschool through to Grade 12. 

When you purchase, request, or nominate a basket, our team sources those books with our suppliers, and orders them for you. Because we do not have the means or the space to house hundreds of books (we can dream), we place orders at least once a month. We know you are excited to receive your basket but we promise it will be well worth the wait.

For more details on the process and shipping times, please see our FAQ.

Baskets Delivered
Children Reached
Schools Supported
Cities Represented

Give, Gift, or Get a Diverse Book Basket

Would you like to receive a sponsored diverse book basket for your home or classroom? Request one!

Want a basket for yourself ASAP and don’t need to wait for a sponsored one? Buy one!

Know someone who should receive a sponsored basket for their home or classroom? Nominate one!

Want to surprise someone with a basket compliments of you? Gift one!

Request
Buy
Nominate
Gift

Groups

For PACs, District PACs, libraries, and community centres purchasing for multiple classes or sites, please use our Bulk Buy order form. You can choose our mixed lists – Elementary (K–7), Middle (6–8), and High School (8–12) – or build a multi-grade order that fits your community.

We offer consolidated delivery, invoice/PO options, and recognition for school and community partners. Planning a district-wide rollout or a large community initiative? Reach out! We can help tailor quantities, timelines, and sponsorship matching for equity-deserving schools.

Bulk Buy

Sponsor the Diverse Book Basket Program

Educators, parents, caregivers – everyone – need diverse books to help teach children antiracism, cultural competency, and decolonization. Not everyone can afford to diversify their library.

Support our program by sponsoring a Book Basket ($125) or donating any amount you choose. All donations to the program will be used to get as many baskets to classrooms and families as possible. 

If you are a Corporate Sponsor, please see our info sheet or email us to discuss sponsoring.

Sponsor

Program Details

At a Glance

At a Glance

Click here to We place culturally representative stories and simple, ready-to-use supports in the hands of teachers and caregivers so brave conversations become a rhythm at school and at home. This empowers children to meet themselves and each other with dignity, for classrooms and families practice belonging, and for schools and communities to grow toward lasting equity.
Distributed Canada-wide on a monthly ordering cadence or as funding allows
Racially and culturally diverse books for classrooms, libraries, youth programs, and homes
Includes educator and caregiver tools such as trauma-informed guide + lesson download codes + Colours of the World art supplies
Four pathways to get a basket: Purchase, Gift, Request, Nominate
Sponsored baskets are prioritized for schools and organizations serving BIPOC, newcomer, refugee, and low-income communities

Need we address

Need we address

We ensure homes, classrooms, and community gathering places have stories where all kids are reflected and the grown-ups in those spaces have tools to lead courageous conversations safely.
Without representation and trauma-informed guided dialogue, bias develops early and belonging suffers.
Many schools lack a range of culturally representative books written by authors with lived-expertise
Under-resourced classrooms, community centres, and families face cost and access barriers to building diverse libraries

Goals

Goals

Our goals are simple and bold: get the diverse stories and easy-to-use supports into classrooms, communities, and homes, make brave conversation a low-lift daily practice, and grow habits of dignity, empathy, and belonging. 
Build classroom and community cultures where BIPOC children are safe, seen, and celebrated, and where white children learn to recognize bias, practice courage, and use their voices and choices for equity.
Get identity-affirming books into classrooms, libraries, and homes across Canada
Equip educators, caregivers, and community leaders with trauma-informed, ready-to-use discussion tools.

Who benefits

Who benefits

Impact travels from page to practice, reaching students, the adults around them, and the communities they shape. Direct and ripple effects across classrooms, homes, and communities.
Schools & communities: Schools benefit from more time teaching, fewer escalations, smoother family communications, and consistent equity practice across classrooms. Communities get reliable access to inclusive resources and community ownership that reinforces belonging as a public norm.
Students: BIPOC children are safe, seen, and celebrated; white children grow empathy, critical awareness, and the reflex to stand up for equity; all children meet stories that widen their world.
Educators & caregivers: Less prep and clearer language for hard conversations, with practical guides that make brave dialogue part of the daily routine.
Families: Shared prompts carry learning to the kitchen table, deepening connection with anti-racism values and offering a common approach to care and accountability.

Impacts

Short-term impact
(0–6 months)

Short-term impact (0–6 months)

Stories land in classrooms and homes, and conversation starts to flow. Children name what they see with dignity. Educators and caregivers use the guides with ease and feel more confident. Classroom climate softens toward inclusion and restorative responses.
Early signs of belonging and engagement rise
Representative books in circulation and in use
Weekly or bi-weekly read-alouds begin

Medium-term impact
(6–18 months)

Medium-term impact (6–18 months)

Practice becomes a habit. Belonging shows up in routines, on walls, and in the words kids choose. Families and schools share a common language for care and accountability. Peers replicate what works and more classrooms opt in.
Spread to additional grades, classes, or sites
Regular read-alouds and learning resources embedded in plans
Shared agreements and calmer conflict resolution

Long-term impact
(2–5 years)

Long-term impact (2–5 years)

What starts as stories becomes culture. BIPOC children feel safe, seen, and celebrated across their school years. White children grow empathy, critical awareness, and everyday allyship. Schools, families, and communities choose equity in what they purchase, teach, and fund.
Community partnerships sustain and scale access
Inclusive procurement and collection policies adopted
Ongoing educator development anchored in equityBuild classroom and community cultures where BIPOC children are safe, seen, and celebrated, and where white children learn to recognize bias, practice courage, and use their voices and choices for equity.
Get identity-affirming books into classrooms, libraries, and homes across Canada
Equip educators, caregivers, and community leaders with trauma-informed, ready-to-use discussion tools.

Partnerships & community voice

Partnerships & community voice

Co-created with the people closest to the work, and refined by those who use it every day.
Community co-design: BIPOC parents and the MAR Education Advocacy Team – educators, librarians, and PAC parents – shape title curation and guides.
Youth input: Student readers and classroom pilots inform what lands, what needs context, and what to add next.
Local reach: A trained volunteer delivery network and community partners extend access, limiting shipping costs to rural/remote destinations.
Feedback loops: Recipient surveys and “you said / we did” updates continually refine baskets and trauma-informed supports.
Funding partners: Move classrooms off our waitlist, seed school- or district-level cohorts, and underwrite the equity infrastructure (policies, training, evaluation) that makes change last.

“The Diverse Book Basket we received has been so impactful — my child sees themselves in these stories, and it’s opened up important conversations in our home.”

Book Basket Recipient

Program Funders and Sponsors

Thank you to our partners present and past!

Sponsors

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