Reading and representation Inspiring children through literature I am Valerie Thompkins, the author of the children’s book, Girls Like Me, where I encourage children to explore STEM and other career fields from an early age. Girls Like Me follows the journey of a curly-haired little girl as she explores different careers, gaining the confidence to become a future history maker. I believe in highlighting stories which showcase families of all backgrounds in positive, main character roles. I am on a mission to empower children and families to explore diverse literature and develop a healthy attitude towards reading. I am a self-published author who established an audience through multiple social media platforms to sell over 10,000 books. I wanted to find a way to use my educational path and career journey to inspire others and from there, Girls Like Me was born. Girls Like Me was created to introduce children to STEM and other professions at an early age. This heartwarming picture book took social media and Amazon by storm, growing in popularity due to the uniqueness of the diverse character with brown skin and big curly hair. On page one, the character sits in bed reading a book, wearing a hair bonnet. Little girls look at the character and say: “Wow, she wears a bonnet to protect her hair at night, just like me!” Toddlers point at the astronaut and have already decided they are headed to the moon one day after discovering what an astronaut
looks like. Representation matters: all children deserve to read about people who look like them. When the idea struck me to write a children’s book, there was only one topic that came to mind: careers. Growing up as an only child, I was an avid reader. At that time, there were not many books featuring black and brown characters as protagonists. Girls Like Me allows children to experience astronauts, pilots and other roles they may not be otherwise exposed to. The job roles in the book are inspired by peers I met in college at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. For the first time in my life, I met people who spoke of becoming doctors, engineers and lawyers. One small idea turned into book tours, speaking engagements, podcast interviews, television features and a plethora of new opportunities thanks to a series of viral social media posts. I will continue to share the journey of balancing the corporate world and life as an entrepreneur. I like to remind others not to put themselves in a box, it’s never too late to pivot or follow a new dream. You can start over every single day. VALERIE THOMPKINS Author of Girls Like Me Stay tuned for Valerie’s next title: Boys Like Me. TikTok and Instagram: @authorvaleriethompkins
EDUCATION CHOICES MAGAZINE | S PRI NG 2023 | 19
