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When Nneka Ruiz Montalvo learned about the tragic murder of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota in May 2020, she felt the need to do something.
Not being one to take up signs and protest, she decided to propagate something that was a positive influence and impactful to her as she grew up – reading.
“I felt so sad to see how he was treated (by the police) as if he just did not matter. I ended up thinking about my son growing up in a world where people who look like him are treated as if they don’t matter. He’d have to face discrimination from the police etc and it made me think I had to do something to make a lasting, positive change in the world.
“I wanted my son and other children like him, children of colour, to grow up to have a high self-esteem so they feel as if they really matter, to feel affirmed and validated.”
A few months later, she opened My Reflections Children’s Bookstore which, at the time, was an online store. The idea was to make a powerful impact on the children of TT by allowing them to see themselves in the books they read.
Ruiz Montalvo recalled that as a child she read many books but never one with a character that looked like her. The same can be said for many adults, and even today, children grow up wishing they had straight hair or blue eyes because that is what is represented in the books they read. So they either want to be like that or feel left out.
“Books are meant to be both mirrors and windows. Children get the ‘mirror’ experience when they see someone similar to them in the books they read, with regard to their ethnicity, cultural background and belief system. This ‘mirror’ experience is very important for a child’s self-image.
“Children get the ‘window’ experience when they read books with characters different from them. The ‘window’ experience is essential for a child to be open-minded, compassionate and see the world from another person’s point of view.
“When African or Indian children are only exposed to books with Caucasian or animal characters, they never benefit from the ‘mirror’ experience.”
So, at the time of Floyd’s death, with the feeling that she needed her then four-year-old son, Matthew Ruiz Montalvo, to grow up knowing his worth, Ruiz Montalvo took a long, hard look at his bookshelf and noticed his books had only animal or Caucasian characters.
She later learned from US publishing statistics that the vast majority of characters in children’s books are 50 per cent Caucasian, 27 per cent animals, ten per cent African, seven per cent Asian, five per cent Latinx, and one per cent Native American/First Nations. And that seven per cent of Asian includes characters from all parts of Asia and the Pacific Islands, such as Korea, China, the Philippines, Cambodia, India and others.
“I wanted to get my son excited about reading, to love reading and have reading as a very important part of his life, and I wanted him to feel validated and see himself in books. So I decided to get him books in which characters look like him.”
She went in search of books with characters who were people of colour. She found only two locally and the topics were associated with slavery which was not something she wanted to introduce to a four-year-old.
She turned to the internet, searching for fun and engaging books in which Matthew could see himself and relate to the characters. And, after a while, found websites that focussed on children’s books with black characters.
At that point, she decided not only her son, but other children should benefit from a healthy self-image, which could be a launching pad for the rest of their lives.
In addition, she said reading sharpens the brain since it is an active process. While reading, people use their brains to formulate the words and sentences, as well as visualise and interpret the text. It also expands the vocabulary, and improves spelling and grammar, unlike looking at television or watching videos on a device.
“I just decided to go brave. Yes, we are in a pandemic but I was so determined to make a positive change I said, ‘Yes. I’m going to start this bookstore in the middle of a pandemic when the whole world is going crazy.’”
In January 2021, she launched My Reflections Children’s Bookstore.
However, people wanted to see the books and look at the pictures before they bought them which encouraged her to open a physical bookstore which she did at Red Edge Shopping Mall, St James in October 2021.
Since then, My Reflection Children’s Bookstore has expanded its range of books. On January 19, 2022, it began to include a wider range of children’s books with Indian characters.
Ruiz Montalvo recalled local authors and clients of Indian descent telling her they had the same experience as many others, feeling inferior because they never saw themselves in books.
One friend, who is a Hindu, told Ruiz Montalvo she grew up ashamed of her beliefs for the same reason. She wanted books that would allow her daughter to feel validated as an Indian and a Hindu. She wanted to protect her daughter and ensure she had positive self-esteem.
“It really caught me off guard because I didn’t think Indian people had that same feeling of inferiority. But my friend and another author, spoke to me about colourism in the community, the preference of light skin over dark skin, and it’s something that can be addressed if children see themselves in the books they read, feel validated. They would be less likely to engage in colourism or racism.”
She consulted with an Indian educator based in Canada who recommended a list of books with Indian characters and she ordered them through a distributor.
In the books, Indian children can see themselves in characters who are superheroes, fearless activists, and even a science-loving mermaid. There is also a wide range of books with African characters from American and Caribbean backgrounds.
In addition, many of the books lean towards science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) in the hopes that children get excited about the topics.
“In order for our country to develop, it is essential that the next generation works towards building careers in STEAM. Rather than trying to push your children into these fields or giving them lectures, introduce them to entertaining books with fun and relatable characters who are passionate about STEAM.
“Prime Minister Patrick Manning had a 2020 goal but we’re not there yet. And that’s because we don’t spend enough time reading and learning and thinking and expanding our minds. Instead, we spend too much time with iPads and iPhones and TV. We’re not really developing as well as we should.
“I’m just really trying to build up our children so that, first of all, they like to read because, according to Barack Obama, reading makes all other learning possible. So I want to get children excited about reading and I want to get them to have good self-esteem and a good self-image.”

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