One in five children’s books features character of colour – but fiction lags behind

‘Slow but positive growth’ … characters of colour feature as part of the main cast of 9% of children’s books. Photograph: JGI/Tom Grill/Getty Images/Tetra images RF

Almost 20% of children’s books now feature characters of colour, according to a new survey, but many still put forward “poorly represented characters” and contain “difficult and damaging portrayals”.

The Reflecting Realities survey, conducted by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), is now in its fifth year and monitors the diversity within children’s books in the UK.