Our Mission is to be the most comprehensive resource for diverse, accessible and empowering children’s literature so that all children can see themselves in a story. Our store is a community hub promoting equality, equity and inclusion, and we share the stories of the world to generate empathy and peace through books.
Our Mission
Meet the Team
Helen Campbell
Co-Founder and CEO
Helen Campbell, a native of England, cemented her love of books with Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons - where she was Peggy and her friend Ruth was Nancy - (because pirates are ruthless). Having worked in film and television, and as a project manager, she now finds herself applying all her Jedi and Mary Poppins type super-powers to making sure that all children can see themselves in a story. She also loves to play with Dottie - resident 4 legged friend, and engage in the occasional game of cribbage.
Elsie Campbell Hendricks
Co-Founder and Director of International Materials
Elsie is a graduate student at George Mason University, studying French and Spanish. She recently graduated from Allegheny College with a Bachelor of Arts in European Studies and a minor in Music Performance. She wrote her Bachelor's thesis on the different versions of the Cinderella story in Europe, and the evolution of the European literary fairy tale genre. A devoted polyglot, she enjoys improving her Spanish, French, Tajik, and German, learning new languages, traveling the world, playing with her dog, and drinking inordinate amounts of tea.
Imogen Campbell Hendricks
Co-Founder and Director of Content and Marketing
Imogen can’t remember a world without books and has named most of the things in her life after literary characters, including the family dog, Mr. Bingley. A student at the College of Wooster, she studies English Literature and Music Performance (oboe) and spends her days taking care of her seven plants, buying books, and writing stories. She can’t wrap her head around cribbage, like Elsie or her mom, instead preferring to observe, cuddling with Bing and enjoying the quiet comfort of being home. At school Imogen spends her time playing in the school orchestra, reading literary criticism, and working on her writing in the quiet corners of campus.
About the Advisory Council: Our Charter
We the founders of Stories Like Me, LLC. feel strongly that fostering an inclusive environment cannot happen without the help of an advisory council to offer us perspectives to which we, in our privilege, may be blind. Our Advisory Council Members are passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion and will act as coaches and mentors for the Stories Like Me staff in the creation of their business, website, marketing, and product selection.
We understand that power dynamics are ingrained into our society and are working hard to subvert them in an educated and compassionate environment. The Advisory Council is meant to expand the horizons of Stories Like Me in a conversational and convivial way.
The Council will provide the invaluable role of mirror, and window (much like our mission of every child being able to see themselves in a story) so that we can accomplish our mission with grace.
Meet the Advisors
Seewan Eng
As a middle school Arts & Humanities teacher, Seewan Eng anchored her curriculum with oral family storytelling, mythology, and personal narrative projects to connect history, cultural identity, and deep understanding of our world today. She continues to be inspired by the power of storytelling as a way to build cross-cultural connections in diverse communities. As a mother of a young daughter, Seewan is also reconnecting with stories and fairytales from her past. She enjoys exposure to new books and an evolving canon where the invisible becomes visible, and the previously unheard is now sung. She envisions a world where each child is imbued with hope, imagination, and inspiration to discover their superpowers and use them to create a more just, equitable, and joyful society. Seewan has over 20 years of experience as a teacher leader and education non-profit leader, specializing in facilitative coaching, change management, and tech-enabled solutions. She also supports and advises equity-focused non-profit organizations and special projects. She lives with her family in the Bay Area.
Laura Hernandez-Flores
Laura is a passionate advocate for providing access to diverse literature to all children. Her own literary journey as an English Learner was a challenging one where she found it difficult to connect to many stories in her more traditional early schooling. It wasn't until her undergraduate studies that Laura developed a love of reading when she was introduced to Chicana Literature and many other diverse authors. This opened up a new awareness that led her to a career in teaching literature so that students could be exposed to authors and stories that they can better relate to culturally. She is now the Senior Director of Partnerships for New Teacher Center, a national organization dedicated to improving student learning by accelerating the effectiveness of new teachers and school leaders. She believes that developing teachers to provide more culturally relevant pedagogy is a major step forward in reaching all children.
Bette George
Bette George’s earliest memories are of being whisked off into a magical world of make-believe with a story or poem read by her Mom, Dad, or Grandmother. To this day, she can sail the beautiful sea in my wooden shoe with Wynken, Blynken, and Nod and imagine she is Cinderella or Rapunzel. Yet all children cannot see themselves represented in literature so readily. This is why Bette is so excited to support the mission of Stories Like Us. As a leadership coach, consultant and author, Bette is known for her groundbreaking diversity work. She has learned the power of stories…the narratives all of us have about who we are, where we come from and our place in the world. Diverse, empowering literature affirms the richness of life in all forms and supports the narratives that have the potential to generate empathy, community and peace. When not trying to change the world, Bette loves hanging out with family and friends and her resident outlaws, her kitties, Bonnie and Clyde.