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 ]
News tagged with: #debut novels #simon mason #running girl

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Diversity in children's books: colouring in required'


Faber boss says future of book publishing is mobile

Stephen Page also says publishers must ‘understand mobile’ and put smartphone communication at the centre of thinkingThe chief executive of publisher Faber & Faber has challenged the book publishing industry to respond to the rapid increase in smartphone use, particularly by young... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book publishing #stephen page #rapid increase #young readers #21st century


At last, a book that tells you exactly where to stick your apostrophe

Simon Griffin’s irreverant pocket-sized guide to a tricky piece of punctuation is the perfect stocking fillerWhen the Guardian style guide went on sale to the public for the first time in 2004, my co-author Nikki Marshall and I wanted to call it No ****ing Asterisks, inspired by the brilliant... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Guadalajara Book Fair 2015: Self-Publishing On the Rise

Self-publishing is "exploding" in the Spanish language book market, and Penguin Random House is making the U.S. Hispanic market a priority. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hispanic market


Book Deals: Week of December 7, 2015

OUP nabs a title exploring children’s literature—and publishing’s—problem with diversity, Lee Boudreaux invests in a veteran’s Fallujah-set war novel, Avery spends six figures luring the pair behind a breakout vegan blog, and more in this week's notable book deals. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book deals


Girl on Train named WHS 'Book of the Year'

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (Doubleday) has been named as the WH Smith ‘Book of the Year’. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Holiday books: Our 31 nonfiction picks

Entertainers share their secrets, scientists tell it like it is (and historians like it was), while Robert Reich and Bill O'Reilly dig in. Skip to: Entertainment | Current Affairs | History | Memoir/Bio | Science/Technology | Sports | Complete list Entertainment Unfaithful Music and Diasppearing... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Coloring Books Drive Big Holiday Sales at Independent Booksellers

The enduring popularity of coloring books for adults and a successful Small Business Saturday got the holiday season off to a strong start for independent booksellers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #independent booksellers #coloring books #holiday season #strong start


JK Rowling inspires surge to fund book on race and immigration in three days

A £5,000 donation and tweet from Harry Potter author JK Rowling have pushed The Good Immigrant to its funding targetA host of authors, including JK Rowling, David Nicholls, Jonathan Coe and Evie Wyld have powered a crowdfunded anthology of essays on race and immigration to its funding target in... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #jonathan coe #evie wyld #crowdfunded anthology #funding target #million followers #brown people


Penguin Random House Unifies E-book Terms for Libraries

Effective January 1, 2016, all Penguin ebooks purchased by libraries after January 1 will be licensed on a perpetual access model. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Sharjah Hosts Its 34th International Book Fair

This year's Sharjah International Book Fair, now in its 34th year, was the largest ever drawing 1,547 participating publishers from 64 countries. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Festival format hampers diversity, says McGregor

The format of literary festivals, which “privileges those from a specific cultural and educational background”, is hampering diversity, author Jon McGregor argued yesterday at the Cambridge Literary Festival. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #literary festivals


Industry should be 'less defensive' about diversity

Publishing should be as “demographically representative as possible” in a bid to tackle diversity, delegates to The Bookseller's Author Day conference have heard. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #tackle diversity


Fox fable beats bestsellers to book prize

A fable about friendship and loss by a debut author beats bestselling novels The Girl on the Train and Go Set a Watchman to be named Waterstones Book of the Year. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2015-12-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book prize


'Where are the brown people?': authors slam lack of diversity in UK publishing

Nikesh Shukla calls industry’s backtracking ‘a perfect loop-de-loop of blame’ as he is joined by Jon McGregor in a groundswell of readers and authors demanding more diverse representationMan Booker winner Marlon James: ‘Writers of colour pander to the white woman’Authors Nikesh Shukla and Jon... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #titles announced #shop floor


Square Peg buys gift book for Britain's bird-lovers

Square Peg has acquired a book by naturalist Stephen Ross about one of Britain’s favourite birds, the robin. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #square peg


Transworld wins 10-way auction for zoologist's book

Transworld has acquired two new books by National Geographic explorer Lucy Cooke. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Sian Williams' first book on surviving trauma to W&N

Weidenfeld & Nicolson is publishing award-winning journalist and broadcaster Sian Williams’ first book Rise: Surviving and Thriving After Trauma. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #weidenfeld nicolson


McMillan first poet to win Guardian First Book Award

Andrew McMillan has become the first poet to win the £10,000 Guardian First Book Award with his “elegantly poised and intimate” collection of poems, Physical (Jonathan Cape). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #andrew mcmillan #book award


Book Deals: Week of November 30, 2015

Ecco nabs a Mississippi-set debut, Kensington re-ups Marie Bostwick, Israeli musician Oren Lavie sells a picture book, and more in this week's notable book deals. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book deals #ecco nabs #picture book


Hachette Children’s opens Carmelite Prize for student illustrators

Hachette Children’s Group is offering a student the chance to illustrate a picture book by Cressida Cowell, thanks to a new competition. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hachette children #picture book #cressida cowell