Books create belonging. They help us see each other and understand one another. They shine a light on the world. It’s vital, therefore, that the books we read in our formative years reflect the rich diversity of the society we live in. Yet, while English is a mandatory subject for under-16s, just 1% of GCSE English literature students study a book by a writer of colour. 1%. It’s shocking.

Starting a life-long love

Those of us who learn to love books mostly do so as children. We experience the magic of reading, and this sometimes follows us into later life. Life-long readers aren’t usually created by reading Proust or Shakespeare, or toiling through War and Peace. For me it happened by falling in love with Winnie-the-Pooh, with the gorgeous illustrations of Brambly Hedge, and wanting to befriend Stig of the Dump.

But what wasn’t available to me in the 80s as I became an avid book lover, was diverse and inclusive books. Huge inroads have been made in recent years to ensure diversity in books, both from the authors and illustrators who create them, to the characters featured in children’s books.

It’s now crucial that our education system as a whole recognises the importance of reading for pleasure from an early age and that we ensure that all children have access to diverse texts, that they read diverse texts, and that they study diverse texts.

More sustained, significant changes are needed

The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education’s (CLPE’s) Reflecting Realities Survey of Ethnic Representation within UK Children’s Literature showed that 20% of children’s books published for ages 3-11 in 2021 featured a minority ethnic character, a significant increase from the 4% reported in 2017.

This sustained increase in the number and percentage of books that contain characters from racial minorities is vital. While this slow but positive growth is to be welcomed, there remains a significant disparity between the demographic make-up of story worlds compared to the world as actually experienced by young readers.

The National Literacy Trust compiled their own research to identify whether children are seeing themselves in what they read. They first asked children and young people about their experiences of diversity in the books they read in 2020. They revisited these questions in their Annual Literacy Survey in 2022, a report based on responses from 48,672 children aged 8 to 18.

Two in five children and young people said they find it difficult to find books with characters or people like them, increasing to one in two children aged eight to 11.

While just over one in three children and young people from White backgrounds say they struggle to see themselves in what they read, this increases to nearly one in two children and young people from Black ethnic backgrounds. These statistics are concerning!

Diversity is out there

Although not as many as any of us would like, we have lots of brilliant authors, illustrators and relevant literature available, enabling all children to find themselves reflected in books. Books that help build understanding, empathy and tolerance of our different backgrounds and that also entertain and celebrate our rich, shared cultural heritage. Some that include a diverse cast, some that actively teach about diversity and inclusion, and others that celebrate role models and historical figures in non-fiction titles. Many of the novels include diverse families without actively teaching about diversity and would be great additions to every school library.

So why aren’t these getting through to all young readers? Is every school doing enough to make positive changes – and, if not, why not?

Collections to help connection

This era is constantly hailed as a golden age for children’s literature, and it is clear there are some incredible authors out there producing fantastic fiction and non-fiction for the next generation, for all children to enjoy.

Here are just some of the collections we have curated to help amplify diverse characters and share our love of diverse voices. Each list could be a helpful foundation for educators recognising the power of diverse literature in how children connect and interact with the world around them:

80 Children’s Books that Celebrate Difference
30 Children’s Books Celebrating Neurodiversity
30 Books with Positive Images of Disability
50 Children’s Books Exploring Black History and Culture
20 Kids Books That Celebrate Family Diversity
30 Great Children’s Books about Autism or Featuring an Autistic Character
40 Children’s Books to Inspire Empathy

The challenge is making sure that books like these are found everywhere – not only in specialist lists and articles – and that they get the coverage they deserve, ensuring that diverse is not different and inclusive books are normal, not niche.

Finding support

Lit in Colour was created in 2020 by Penguin Books UK and race equality think tank, The Runnymede Trust to help do just that. Their research tells us that there is a need for children to study texts within a curriculum that is much more representative of our diverse society.

It is critical that every school gets the support it needs to make our libraries more inclusive. Every child needs to see a variety of characters, settings, faiths to understand, appreciate and reflect on the wonderful diversity of the world we live in. Every child deserves to see themselves reflected in a book, deserves to see names like theirs on the covers of books.

If this isn’t achieved, we will never have a society with tolerance, understanding, empathy. Our children will never be able to walk in someone else’s shoes.

It goes without saying that encouraging enjoyment of books and creating curious and engaged readers for life is crucial. Inspiring a love of books is one of the best ways to prepare children for a lifetime of learning, but without that inclusive range of books, without those different opinions and experiences being shared, our children will not only be missing out on the magic of reading but the understanding and appreciation of others that will take them forward through life.

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Deborah Maclaren, MD of LoveReading4Kids,is a serial entrepreneur, business owner and strong commercial leader who has been in business for 25 years. She has been MD of Love Reading since mid-2018, bringing together her media background, passion for books, her love of literacy, marketing knowledge and her commercial acumen.

The LoveReading family exists because reading matters, and books change lives. In 2022 these leading book recommendation websites announced the launch of an online bookstore with social purpose on LoveReading4Kids and LoveReading where 25% of money spent can be donated to a school of the buyer's choice, to spend on books. Buy a Book, Support a School, Make a Difference.
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