Children’s books show rise in racially minoritised characters, survey finds

‘Subject matter that reflects the realities of many young Black readers and should be an average encounter still remains ground-breaking within the UK context’ Photograph: Marc Hill/Alamy

Thirty per cent of children’s books published last year featured racially minoritised characters, according to new research.

The sixth report on racial representation in children’s literature by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), titled Reflecting Realities, found a 26-point rise in the percentage of titles featuring racially minoritised characters since the survey was first conducted in 2017, when the figure was 4%. This has gradually risen over the past six years, from 7% in 2018 to 10% in 2019, to 15% in 2020 and 20% in 2021.