Almost a third of school-age children are from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. But they will still struggle to find characters who resemble themselvesBooks can show us the world both as it is, and as it could be – “mirrors and windows”, as the author Malorie Blackman notes. For children, they are currently falling short on both counts. In the pages of a picture or chapter book, readers have their experience affirmed or glimpse exciting new possibilities: mastering a fear of the dark, or travelling through space. Yet a young black or Asian child picking up a book today is more likely to encounter a rabbit than a protagonist who looks like them, says the expert who has led a new review of representation, Reflecting Realities. This is astonishing in an age when 32% of school-age children are from black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds; and is bad news not only for them but for all young readers. Publishers are offering a dated, narrow and skewed picture of the complex, diverse, interconnected world around them.Don’t blame Beatrix Potter. This is not a historic, cumulative problem; the new research covers only books published in 2017. The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education asked publishers to submit titles with BAME characters and received fewer than 400, set against the roughly 9,000 books published for children aged three to 11. Quality and sheer variety are as important as quantity. Only 1% of titles featured a BAME lead character; in a quarter of... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2018-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After a survey revealed the stresses that authors face when placed in the spotlight for the first time, publishing houses and industry bodies have pledged extra training and pastoral careAuthor and publisher welfare has been a hot topic in the books industry of late. Publishing houses, trade... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-07-18 15:13:43 UTC ]
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Last year, all of literature’s big prizes went to small publishers. In a risk‑averse climate, edgy debuts and ‘tricky-to-sell’ foreign titles have found a home at the likes of Fitzcarraldo Editions and Sort Of Books – and the gamble has paid offA quiet revolution is afoot in British publishing.... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-07-16 08:00:02 UTC ]
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New children’s book releases include clever nonfiction picture books, thrilling middle grade fantasies, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-07-07 10:32:00 UTC ]
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MacNolia Cox speaks only one sentence in a picture book about her trip to the 1936 national spelling bee. Zaila Avant-garde, the 2021 champ, writes volumes. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-07-07 09:00:29 UTC ]
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Get ready for the summer with these 12 June children's book releases, including Hawaiian fantasy Lei and the Fire Goddess by Malia Maunakea. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-06-07 10:34:00 UTC ]
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Circana's Brenna Connor assessed “The State of the Children’s Book Market” for Children’s Institute 2023 in Milwaukee, speaking about transformations, troubles, and growth opportunities across the children’s, middle grade, and YA sectors. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-07 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A colorful, whimsical children's book by Langston Hughes and Elmer W. Brown has resurfaced in Cleveland, OH after decades. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-05-31 16:14:51 UTC ]
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The third day of the U.S. Book Show was capped off on an entertaining note with a keynote given by Matthew Gray Gubler; the actor-turned-children’s book author-illustrator, who is known for his role as Dr. Spencer Reid on 'Criminal Minds,' made a segue into the literary world with the 2019... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Apocalypse brings to mind cataclysmic events, often involving Mad Max-esq fighting, cannibalism, and what horrors one must endure, or commit, to survive. I love such stories. I like to imagine that I would survive, thrive even, conveniently forgetting that my life of indoor pursuits, reading,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-25 12:26:54 UTC ]
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From calming stories to nonfiction facts about our celestial neighbor, these are the best children's books about the moon to read, including Moon: A Peek-Through Picture Book by Britta Teckentrup. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-05-23 10:34:00 UTC ]
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Henry Threadgill’s memoir unfolds from his maddening wartime experience to his boundary-pushing musical career. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-05-19 02:17:52 UTC ]
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PEN America and publisher Penguin Random House filed a federal suit against Escambia County School District over its removal of books from school libraries. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-05-18 17:34:04 UTC ]
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A free-speech organization and the country’s largest book publisher said the district violated the First Amendment and the equal protection clause. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-05-17 17:45:29 UTC ]
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Henry Threadgill’s memoir unfolds from his maddening wartime experience to his boundary-pushing musical career. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-05-15 09:00:20 UTC ]
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On May 10, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark stood on the floor of the House of Representatives and read aloud from a children's book to members of Congress. "The end of the day was also my own," she read. "Bled out on the floor and never got home." These chilling words tell the story of Joaquin... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2023-05-15 06:00:00 UTC ]
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Four-year-old author Saeed Almheiri discussess his book, The Elephant Saeed and the Bear, and his sister Aldhabi, 8, discusses hers, Here Was the Beginning — waxing poetic about its effect on classmates. Saeed has the Guinness world record as the... Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2023-05-11 21:11:00 UTC ]
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“How’d you become a children’s book author?” The answer for Kouri Richins, a Utah mom of three who wrote Are You With Me?, a children’s book about coping with grief, is that she allegedly poisoned her husband, then wrote a book about loss. The Associated Press reports that Utah police arrested... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-09 14:02:02 UTC ]
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When we were but children in a distant former colony, we had a set of cardboard coronation crowns upholstered poorly in imitation velvet so we could play kings and queens. The Queen was on our money, and her portrait hung in our primary school. Now we are on the eve of the next coronation, and […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-05 13:32:01 UTC ]
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Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara’s book, illustrated by Matt Hunt, is the first of the Little People, Big Dreams series to top the standingsA children’s biography of King Charles III has topped the UK book chart before the coronation on 6 May.Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara’s King Charles is part of the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-05-05 09:57:25 UTC ]
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Professional seaweed harvester and marine biologist Amanda Swinimer has published a children’s book highlighting how important seaweed is for nutrition and for protecting the planet against climate change. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2023-05-05 04:24:48 UTC ]
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