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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Jacks Thomas, currently CEO at Midas PR, will take over as new director of the London Book Fair in January 2013, succeeding Alistair Burtenshaw. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Booktrust will retain its existing government grant for bookgifting schemes for the next two... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Collins' book, which will be based around her own experiences with a father in the military, will be released this fall. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Slate Book Review runs but 15 pieces a month. Hundreds upon hundreds of books fall through the cracks! We asked SBR writers what 2012 titles they felt were criminally underappreciated. Check out the buried treasures they unearthed. Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2012-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It used to be easy to give your loved ones books for the holidays. You went to a bookstore, browsed the shelves , and picked out something thoughtful: Jodi Picoult’s latest for your mom, Harry Potter for your niece, maybe a Bill O’Reilly rant for that uncle who never shuts up at Thanksgiving. ... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2012-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tuesday: Slate staffers pick their favorite books of 2012. Wednesday: The overlooked books of 2012. Thursday: Dan Kois’ 15 favorite books. Friday: The Slate Book Review Top 10. Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2012-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Politicians have backed the Reading Agency's Six Book Challenge in an attempt to improve... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mobile reading may revive entire genres of literature, such as mid-length novels and poems, which have fallen out of favor. Continue reading at The Atlantic
[ The Atlantic | 2012-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In Latin America, ebooks are a huge opportunity for governments to provide their citizens with access to quality content while overcoming the problem of distribution. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A couple of years ago, I embarked on a quixotic quest: I gave up the Internet. Surfing, emailing, YouTube-watching—it had taken over my life, eating into time I wanted to be spending with my family, my students, and my work. I documented my four-month Internet fast in a series of articles for... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2012-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette Children's Books has begun making its picture books available as ebooks from... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's publisher Nosy Crow has partnered with John Lewis to create a picture book of the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Founded by a writer and mother, Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day is set for Dec. 1 this year. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster Children’s Books is predicting this Christmas and Boxing Day will be... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ellen Holgate is to join Bloomsbury Children's Books as editorial director for fiction in the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A patent, titled “Display screen or portion thereof with animated graphical user interface,” gives Apple the exclusive right to the page turn in an e-reader application. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-11-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tablets and other digital reading devices are expected to be big sellers this holiday season due in part to the growing number of devices available from a host of manufacturers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-11-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hilary Mantel, James Meek, Stephen May and Joff Winterhart are in the running for best novel in the Costa Book Awards shortlists Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2012-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An unlikely band comes together to heroically achieve a goal. A writhing sequence of events beset with bloody struggles, mysterious moments, and difficult obstacles overcome. This is the story of how Houghton Mifflin, HarperCollins, and Yudu brought Peter Jackson's production of Tolkien's... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2012-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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"Kids are really up against time. Carefree childhoods are nonexistent. People read what I tell them to," says bookseller Francine Lucidon, owner of The Voracious Reader. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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