Diversity in children's books: colouring in required

There are growing calls for young people's reading to broaden its picture of society from what is currently a depressingly monochrome viewRead Tanya Byrne's top 10 black characters in children's booksAfter a study in the US showed that of 3,200 children's books published in 2013, just 93 were about black people, experts have said that the issue is a "huge problem" in the UK as well.The acclaimed American children's author Walter Dean Myers, who was until recently the US's National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, highlighted the statistic that less than 3% of children's books last year featured black people in an article for the New York Times at the weekend. "Books transmit values. They explore our common humanity. What is the message when some children are not represented in those books?" he asked. "Where are black children going to get a sense of who they are and what they can be? … I'm told that black children, and boys in particular, don't read. Small wonder. There is work to be done."Myers was pointing to research done by the Cooperative Children's Book Centre at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which has counted the number of children's books featuring people of colour since 1985. Ten years ago, of 3,200 books received by the centre, 171 were about black people, 95 about American Indians, 78 about Asians and 63 about Latinos. Last year, these numbers had fallen, with 93 of 3,200 books about black people, 34 about American Indians, 69 about Asians and... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Yusuf/Cat Stevens is turning his song “Peace Train” into a children’s book.

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[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-13 17:36:37 UTC ]
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How family separation inspired a children's book about a fearless girl

"Rebeldita la Alegre en el País de los Ogros," by Oriel María Siu, was inspired by the glaring gap between her family's experiences and the children's books she saw on library shelves. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-01-13 15:00:43 UTC ]
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Read Harder: A Children’s Book That Centers a Disabled Character But Not Their Disability

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Children's Books North to roll out mentoring scheme

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Are Book Biz Diversity Efforts Starting to Kick In?

Publishing employees who weighed in on a new 'PW' survey are hoping new initiatives will yield results. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-12-31 05:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins Children's Books takes two from Skinner

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[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-23 00:52:01 UTC ]
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What 2020 Children’s Book Roundups Are Missing

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The tiny owl found in Rockefeller Christmas tree gets a children's book

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[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-12-17 19:17:23 UTC ]
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Making Children's Books in the Covid-19 Era

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The Joy of Diverse Stories: One Book at a Time

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Marcus Rashford's book club couldn't come at a better time – children's reading is at a 15-year low

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[ The Conversation | 2020-11-20 16:53:51 UTC ]
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[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-17 19:04:34 UTC ]
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[ The Guardian | 2020-11-11 00:01:23 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-10 16:08:26 UTC ]
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