Two new reports, published by BookTrust, shine a spotlight on the role of representation in children’s books and the impact this has on children’s motivations and desires to read.
‘Representation of people of colour among children’s book creators in the UK’, by Dr Melanie Ramdarshan Bold, reveals 11.7 per cent of children’s book creators in 2021 were people of colour, compared to just 4 per cent in 2007.
While the research shows progress has been made in ensuring children’s publishing in the UK is representative of UK society, Dr Ramdarshan Bold says there is need for more ‘long-term and sustainable efforts to be made if the body of UK children’s literature is to become truly representative.’
Some creators interviewed for the research spoke about having developed stronger relationships with publishers and having more allies and advocates across children’s literature who are pushing for change. However, the report also flags serious issues including concerns that issues of inclusion and underrepresentation risk being addressed as ‘tick box exercises’.
A second report, published by BookTrust, details the experiences of primary school teachers and pupils who welcomed creators of colour into the classroom and were introduced to new authors, stories and books.
The ‘BookTrust Represents Schools Support: Evaluation Report 2022’, finds that representation in children’s books and their creators has a ‘critical impact’ on children’s wider learning experiences and development in the classroom and beyond.
In particular, it found that the author visits and use of diverse and inclusive books in the classroom had a positive impact on children’s engagement with books and stories, as well as their own motivation to read and write their own stories.
BookTrust says that schools recognise the importance of representation in books and want their pupils to read a diverse range of literature, but they face challenges including budgetary constraints, a lack of time to discover new books, and lack the knowledge and skills to effectively engage children in conversations about diversity.
The charity has committed to strengthening its work with schools, publishers and creators to promote and profile diverse and inclusive books and stories so children can benefit from the lifechanging benefits that reading can bring. Last year, 28 per cent (891,133) of the books BookTrust distributed to children through its programmes across England, Wales and Northern Ireland were from a creator of colour.
'All children should be able to see themselves and wider society represented in the books and stories they read.'
Diana Gerald, chief executive of BookTrust, said, ‘We want every child to be reading regularly and by choice so they can enjoy the lifechanging benefits that reading can have on their opportunities, wellbeing, learning and creativity. All children should be able to see themselves and wider society represented in the books and stories they read, and our research shows that this has a direct impact on their motivations to pick up their next book.
‘Overall, when you take into consideration the volume of books previously published and that still inspire children and live on bookshelves today, the UK’s body of children’s literature remains far from representative. Improving representation in the books children read remains at the forefront of our work and we are committed to working in partnership with children, families, creators, publishers, schools, libraries and more until we get there.’
Dr Melanie Ramdarshan Bold from the University of Glasgow and author of Representation of people of colour among children’s book creators in the UK, added, ‘It’s great that there’s a tentative growth in the number of children’s creators of colour published in the UK.
‘The creators of colour, interviewed for this report, gave very honest accounts – both positive and negative – of their experiences in children’s publishing, outlining some key barriers and enablers they faced. This ranged from everyday micro-aggressions to active allies in publishing to the joyful impact of school visits. I hope that book industry professionals, and those adjacent to children’s books, really reflect on these experiences, and the report in general, to ensure that diversity, equality, and inclusion are sustainable and embedded parts of the children’s book world.’
