This blog post will discuss the importance of diversity, inclusion, and representation in children's literature and their role in shaping the lives of our children while preparing them for the "real" and diverse world. Diversity and representation aid equal opportunities for every child, which helps them reach their full potential. By providing our children with access to diverse characters and inclusive storylines, we're helping them gain an understanding of topics related to diversity and inclusion, as well as developing the ability to recognize stereotypes and discrimination they or others may face. This prepares them for life beyond the classroom and encourages them to stand up to injustice, which leads to feelings of community and respect.
‍

Why are diversity and representation important within children’s literature?

Growing up as a mixed-race woman, I felt comforted and acknowledged through characters that resembled me. Among them, my favourite was ‘Lotta Zehybe’ from the Charlie and Lola series. Lotta shared similarities with me: her brown eyes, black curly hair, and dark-coloured skin, all helped me to embrace my own skin, as well as helping me to gain a love for my unique hair type which helped me to develop a great feel of self-esteem as well as a positive self-image, which is crucial for all children. Indeed, 38.9% of children agreed with the statement ‘reading about characters that are like me makes me feel more confident about myself’. This shows just how influential diverse representation within literature is for children's well-being and for shaping their identities.

I also remember reading classic stories such as ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ and seeing no characters that depicted me. This made me feel really upset and underappreciated, a feeling that is shared by many children. In fact, Book Trust reported that 11% of children aged 7-17 years said that not being able to find books they relate to stops them from reading. And this makes sense! We want to read books that include people who look like us, who we can relate to, who can inspire us! There is nothing more discouraging than not being able to relate to the characters in a book. I personally still attribute parts of my personality to Lotta to this day (She often wore her hair in two bunches and ever since two bunches has been my favourite hairstyle!).

‍
Diversity and representation are vital within children’s literature as these not only empower children to recognize the value of their backgrounds, but ensure fair representation granting every child a voice. Children’s literature supplies all children with a safe platform to explore and discover different cultures as well as learn about marginalized groups. By introducing the concept of difference to our children, we can prepare them for the world around them and provide them with empathy towards others which promotes a more inclusive society for all! Unfortunately, research by the National Literacy Trust has found that a shocking 1 in 3 children and young people aged 9 to 18 didn’t see themselves in what they read- a percentage which increased for younger children, children from ethnic minority backgrounds and children from lower-income homes.

How can we increase diversity within the literature that children read?

The National Literacy Trust found that 55% of children and young people like to read or hear about characters or people different from themselves. This means our children are driven to learn about different cultures, traditions, ethnicities. Luckily, stories and books that promote diverse characters and storylines are much easier to find these days so the next time you and your child are choosing a new book to read, make sure to look for inclusive books that celebrate representation.

Here are some examples of questions to ask your child to encourage their thinking on diversity and inclusion:

• How are they similar/different?
• Have you ever had a similar experience to the character in this book or have you seen someone facing a similar challenge? Can you share that experience with me?
• What did you learn about the character’s culture or background from this book?
• Were there any instances in the story where the characters faced unfair treatment because of their identity? How did they handle it?

You can also discuss and further research the different cultures, geographic locations, holidays and traditions turning reading time into an even more enriching experience.

The Mosey app provides an amazing way to introduce and explore representation and diversity with your children! Representation and diversity are very important to us and are at the core of the books we choose to include in our library. Many of the books currently published on our app are written by authors from all over the world including India, South Africa and more. This allows us to ensure a range of cultures, traditions and stories are accounted for within our app meaning there is a book for every child to relate to and enjoy. We promise to keep adding diverse and inclusive books as we grow to make sure that any child will be able to find themselves reflected in the stories they're reading.

Make sure to sign up below to get early and free access to the Mosey app!

‍

Maisie Moss is a soon-to-be sociology graduate at Newcastle University with a passion for creativity. She is driven to care for and help others as demonstrated through her roles as a peer mentor, welfare officer and student ambassador. She recently produced research into the inequalities faced by working-class students during the cost-of-living crisis and she hopes to spend her life helping others.

‍

‍