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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Fashion designer Paul Smith is teaming up with illustrator Sam Usher to publish his first children’s book with Pavilion Children’s Books. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Boy at the Back of the Class is "a future classic", Waterstones Children's Book Prize judges say. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2019-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bodour Al Qasimi, the founding president of the Emirates Publishers Association reflects on the last decade of book publishing in the UAE and the Arab world The post Emirates Publishers Association at 10: Driving Books’ Fast Progress in the Arab World appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This year's recipients of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, as announced to date, come from Morocco, Kuwait, Algeria, Lebanon, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. The post Sheikh Zayed Book Award 2019 Winners: ‘World-Class Thinkers and Authors’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jeff Kinney’s Diary of Greg Heffley’s Best Friend (Puffin) is once again the UK Official Top 50 number one, with the World Book Day title beating David Walliams’ Fing (HarperCollins Children's) to the top spot by fewer than 4,000 copies Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For Li Xin, vice president and general editor of the children’s book division at Thinkingdom Children’s Books, Leo Lionni’s 'Swimmy' is that book. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The multimedia company Kids Media, known for its partnerships with some of the world’s biggest brands—think Disney, DreamWorks, and Lego—is on an experimental streak. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jieli’s publishing program, particularly that of its original titles, embraces realism. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Creating books for little people who have just started crawling and saying their first words or for older ones who are too preoccupied with schoolwork to read is hardly child’s play. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Putting a new spin on ordinary stories—about annual festivals, childhood rituals, and traditional games and snacks, for instance—to appeal to a new generation of readers keeps the China Welfare Institute Publishing House (CWIPH) busy. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The United Nations is this week launching a children’s book club with organisations including the International Publishers Association and the International Board on Books for Young People. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Even as the UK Parliament was compounding the UK's confusion on Brexit at Westminster Tuesday evening, the London Book Fair International Book Awards audience cheered internationalism and cross-cultural solidarity in the largest yet round of honors for the program. The post London Book Fair’s... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jeff Kinney’s £1 World Book Day title Diary of Greg Heffley’s Best Friend (Puffin) has swiped the UK Official Top 50 number one spot from David Walliams’ Fing (HarperCollins), shifting 72,782 copies through Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In his new book, former F.C.C. Chariman Tom Wheeler deftly explores 500 years of network revolutions, and offers an invaluable take on the challenges we now face. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Former "Blue Peter" presenter Konnie Huq has written a children’s book for Bonnier, Cookie and the Most Annoying Boy in the World, as part of a new series. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Canongate will publish Stephen Hall's new book, Maxwell's Demon, in February 2020, with a six-figure pre-empt in the US. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Downing Street has welcomed 30 schoolchildren to share a story to celebrate today’s (7th March) World Book Day, whilst astronaut Tim Peake is marking the day with a video encouraging children to read. The children visiting 10 Down Street spent the morning reading and drawing along with authors... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The idea of an advertising character becoming the focus of a children's book might normally feel a bit icky, but here's a worthwhile exception. The orangutan character from London agency Mother's "Rang-tan" ad--originally made for Greenpeace and later repurposed as grocer Iceland Foods'... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2019-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This year's London Book Fair coincides with the arrival of the International Publishers Association's new president and vice-president, leading 'a conversation of public debate' about publishers' role amid 'sensitive socio-cultural issues.' The post Ahead of London Book Fair: IPA’s New... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The second Children’s Books Salon in New York City brought together 26 international and nearly 70 American children’s book publishers for meetings and discussions. The post Children’s Books Salon: Building a ‘Global Community’ of Publishers in New York City appeared first on Publishing... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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