L.I.T. Kids, LLC is a children’s literacy initiative, started by Austin’s Porsha Hodge, that focuses on providing children with diverse books. The goal is to help children of color “see the world through a different lens,” providing children with the opportunity to see characters whom they can relate to. “What better way to discover the world than through connections that embrace who they are?​”

LIT Kids provides the opportunity to build a personal at-home library of books that “enable kids to learn while creating a space for parents to inspire and teach their little learners.”

"I wanted to create something that provided kids with something, more books of color because as a new mother back in 2014 I found that there were not a lot of books of representation that connected with my son as a young black boy," Hodge told Spectrum News.

LIT Kids offers one-month, three-month, and six-month plans that range in price between $36 and $170. All boxes include two to three LIT Kid books, an educational activity, and a LIT gift.

The best part about the book boxes for Shaimarie Warren is finding people who look like her inside. “In my school library I don’t see a lot of different races of books, so the opportunity to be having a book that I can read that is my own race or a different race than what we regularly see is a whole new world,” Warren told Spectrum News.

One of Warren’s favorite books that is offered in the LIT Kids Book Box is Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman. The ten-year-old finds the struggles in the book relatable. "I feel like that shouldn’t bring me down because I know in my own way that I am beautiful and I am unique just the way I am," said Warren.

Hodge will launch her picture-book debut in July with Cocoa Delight and Her Chocolate Chip Tears.