Our Story

When I moved to the US over a decade ago, a surge of excitement and joy filled my body as I found a picture book featuring characters from my country and culture. I was elated to share it with my then-two-year-old daughter. It felt wonderful to read her a story of a family that was like hers. It was a delight to see those characters use similar words, eat familiar foods, and celebrate the same festivals with gusto.

It filled me with nostalgia for my country and my childhood, paving the way for delightful conversations and stories that revolved around my childhood.

And this became true of every book that I picked up from the library that featured stories and characters from different countries and cultures. Have you everfelt a warm, fuzzy feeling when glancing through the windows of some homes on your street on an evening walk? These multicultural books became our windows.

Every time we read a book from a different culture or country, we are filled with awe at learning about the similarities or differences. Every time we read about other species, it fills us with awe and reverence for the magnificence and magic that surrounds us.

Every time we pick up a book of AWE, we become that much the wiser. We realize that humans are just one leaf on a tree among millions of other leaves. We recognize the wonders we share our beloved home with. And we realize that we are all more similar than we think or are led to believe, and that families all around the world yearn for the same love, peace, simplicity, and joy that we do.

These books are not just books of AWE, but are bridges of peace, kindness, and compassion.