Candice Brathwaite doesn’t remember exactly where she was when she first saw Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman, but she remembers how it made her feel. “There was a little Black girl on the cover with hair like mine,” she says. “It was a defining moment. This is after years of reading books like Biff and Chip, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I went to a predominantly Black primary school in Brixton. But there was definitely a lack of literature where us kids could say: ‘Oh, this character looks like me.’”
Brathwaite is now an author herself – she penned the memoirs I Am Not Your Baby Mother and Sista Sister, and recently released Cuts Both Ways, her first foray into young adult fiction. “It was really important to me that the characters were unmistakable Black teenagers,” she says. “There’s still a huge gap in that genre in terms of diversity.” She’s also mum to daughter Esmé, who’s nine, and son RJ, who’s almost five. And while there are certainly a wider range of diverse characters in children’s literature now, compared with when she was growing up, Brathwaite says there’s still work to do.
“My biggest issue right now is searching for kids’ books with little Black boys as the main character,” she says. “I think we’re doing really well when it comes to little Black girls. But I still feel like there’s a massive gap in terms of young Black boys being shown in a positive light. Most of my son’s books are personalised, where my husband and I will write him as the lead in a Paw Patrol story and have that printed. It’s really important that he feels part of the story.”
Diversity in literature matters. Representation helps children feel included in society, creates a sense of confidence and self worth, and provides role models who are brought to life in narrative form. Introducing children to a diversity of cultures and ways of life through reading also expands their worldview and teaches them traits such as empathy and inclusivity, while combating stereotypes and prejudice. Children learn that despite many differences, all people share common feelings and aspirations. Stories such as those in Save the Children’s illustrated Wonderbooks series, for example, are based on the lives of real children the charity works with all over the world, and address themes such as the importance of girls’ access to education and the impact of natural disasters on communities in developing countries. A small portion of the money raised through Wonderbooks subscriptions goes towards producing and distributing the books themselves, and the rest supports the charity’s work globally, which gives families the chance to help other children like those they’ve been reading about.
While diversity in literature is improving, progress is still needed. The latest Reflecting Realities Survey from the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, found the percentage of books published with a main character from an ethnic minority background has risen year on year but remains extremely low at 9% in 2021. That’s compared with the 34.8% of primary school children in the UK who are from an ethnic minority background. The report also notes the need to give diverse characters agency and voice, while celebrating different cultures, conveying experiences of different diasporas and unpicking the ideologies behind racism. “Such titles offer opportunities for young readers to feel affirmed or better understand experiences beyond their own,” the authors add.
Brathwaite and her husband Bodé are enjoying reading Wonderbooks to their children. “Even as an adult, I found these children’s books insightful and wonderful,” she says. “From learning so much about Madagascar through the eyes of Bolo, to Rosni’s experience of being a child in Bangladesh, these are the kind of stories I wish were available when I was a child.”
The stories also provide a way for them to introduce a wide range of human experiences and talk about some big subjects as a family. “I welcome those conversations. What the Covid-19 pandemic taught me is that no matter what we try to hide, news reaches our children in many different ways,” says Brathwaite.
“Don’t get me wrong, there’s a need for fantasy, there’s a need for play. But to try to disengage or shelter our children from the reality of so many other children around the world is a disservice to humanity. We’re not all going to have the picket fence and get everything we want. It’s the luck of the draw that we live the life we live. Opening our children up to other realities creates a more empathetic human race.”
Introduce your child to the big issues – like climate change and girls’ rights – with a Wonderbooks subscription. Discover more here
