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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Feature image from Akiko Miyakoshi’s I Dream a Journey * I knew things were going to get hard when the library closed. I am, by profession, a writer and a professor of storytelling. I’ve read to my twin children—now four—since their infancy. But as avid readers as we already were, 2020 upped our... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-12-21 09:49:02 UTC ]
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Rocky, who was rescued from the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree this year, now stars in the illustrated children's book "Rockefeller the Christmas Owl." Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-12-17 19:17:23 UTC ]
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We take a look at how the coronavirus has prompted art and design professionals to adjust their process in innovative ways. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-12-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury has launched a Christmas campaign in partnership with the National Literacy Trust Hub in Hastings to donate more than 11,000 books to children for Christmas. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-07 13:33:35 UTC ]
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On November 16th, Allegheny County Jail’s incarcerated population got a memo from ACJ warden Orlando Harper letting them know that, due to the security issue of potential contraband, they are no longer allowed to receive books from the outside. Instead, said Harper, incarcerated individuals now... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-24 19:59:52 UTC ]
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Hachette Children’s Group has acquired two non-fiction picture books and two picture books by debut author and illustrator Ellan Rankin, winner of the 2020 Carmelite Picture Book Prize. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-23 20:16:52 UTC ]
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Research shows action is needed to get more kids reading for pleasure – especially those from disadvantaged and minority backgrounds. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2020-11-20 16:53:51 UTC ]
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Louisa Danquah and Leanne Nulty are to join Simon & Schuster Children's Books in January. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-20 05:19:34 UTC ]
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As many on this side of the pond may not know, Manchester United and England footballer Marcus Rashford is currently all that stands between the United Kingdom and compete moral ruination. In a year where a particularly grotesque grotesquerie of Brexiteer Tories consolidated power,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-17 19:04:34 UTC ]
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According to UK study, just 5% of children’s books have black, Asian or minority ethnic protagonists – a small improvement from 1% in 2017Two years after the stark revelation that only 1% of British children’s books featured a main character who was black, Asian or minority ethnic, the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-11-11 00:01:23 UTC ]
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Representation in children’s books is still not reflective of society, according to reading charity BookTrust and the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-10 16:08:26 UTC ]
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HarperCollins Children’s Books has signed Noa and the Little Elephant: A Tale of Friendship and Survival, a “poignant” picture book from author and illustrator Michael Foreman, in partnership with the wildlife conservation charity, Tusk. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-08 16:02:51 UTC ]
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In 1988, Katherine Paterson wrote in the Book Review that children need not only the happily-ever-after of fairy tales, but also “proper endings” in which “hope is a yearning, rooted in reality.” Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-11-06 10:00:04 UTC ]
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Italy's bookstores are allowed to operate amid COVID-19 restrictions, and Guadalajara becomes UNESCO's World Book Capital for 2022. The post Industry Notes: Italian Bookstores Stay Open, Guadalajara Named World Book Capital appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-11-04 20:25:38 UTC ]
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A digital Irish children's book festival is launching later this month, in association with Dublin's Pavilion Theatre. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-04 03:24:57 UTC ]
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A cooperative effort produces series of international discussions on children's book markets, author-illustrator relations, and bookselling. The post This Week: Discussions on Children’s Books in México and Germany appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-11-03 19:45:48 UTC ]
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As the literary world moved online in 2020, a central question for many organizations was how to manage the annual festivals that gather thousands of readers from around the world. Here, the directors of five festivals—Sara Ortiz of the Believer Festival, Lissette Mendez of the Miami Book Fair,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-03 09:57:24 UTC ]
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Macmillan Children’s Books (MCB) has won a seven-publisher auction to publish middle-grade and picture books by Sir Lenny Henry. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-31 06:26:43 UTC ]
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Canongate is to publish illustrated children's book The Biggest Footprint by brothers Rob and Tom Sears next year. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-28 15:40:51 UTC ]
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Looking to celebrate undiscovered authors and illustrators, Ehomebooks launches the International Children’s Picture Book Award. The post Vietnamese Publisher Ehomebooks Launches the International Children’s Picture Book Award appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-10-28 14:05:06 UTC ]
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