Children's booksellers and librarians urge that momentum from Cottrell Boyce debate continues

Booksellers and librarians are urging that the momentum of the debate sparked by authors Frank Cottrell Boyce and Robin Stevens — who recently told BBC Radio 4’s “Today Programme” that a lack of critical discourse around children’s literature because of squeezed review pages and underfunded libraries was “narrowing down” choice for children — should continue.

The authors’ appearance on the radio show prompted The Daily Telegraph arts desk to pledge to review a new children’s book every week, and Cottrell Boyce has indicated that he’s had a substantial response to his call for change, writing on Twitter last week: “It feels like after years of remote rumbling, something seismic might be about to shift the landscape of children’s books.”

Annie Rhodes, bookseller at Norfolk Children’s Book Centre, told The Bookseller that the team “heard the radio programme and it has got us all talking.” She said they were “encouraged by the recent light shone on the children’s book world” and “do think it is important that children’s books receive as much attention and are as much a part of the literary world as books for adults.”

She continued: “Any conversation that highlights the quality of good children’s literature can only be beneficial for children’s reading — the adults in their lives may learn a bit more about really good books from the reviews and will be able to buy or borrow books for children that go beyond what you see in the supermarkets and bestseller lists."

Of the Telegraph’s reviews pledge, she added: "Any commitment like this from a major newspaper is good news for the children’s book world and for booksellers — a lot of our customers primarily read traditional print newspapers and learn about what is good from the reviews and we often see customers coming through the door asking for the book that was reviewed as the Times children’s book of the week, for example.”

Rhodes said she is “hopeful that this isn’t a brief conversation in the public eye”, that the “momentum” isn’t lost and that the debate “carries on, and that other newspapers and media outlets follow suit.” “We are excited to see what happens next,” she said. 

Dee Lalljee, c.e.o. of The Bookery, which won Independent Bookshop of the Year at the 2022 British Book Awards, likewise said the team at the Crediton-based children’s bookshop “completely agrees” with Cottrell Boyce that a debate is long overdue. 

“Not only is there zero national conversation about children’s books, but this is underpinned by a woefully inadequate understanding of the skills required to write and illustrate good children’s books, and the influence they have on children’s lives,” she told The Bookseller. 

“As independent booksellers we work hard to champion new books and authors. Our schools team are committed to reviewing new children’s books and they collate annual lists to inspire reading for pleasure, taking these curated book lists to thousands of primary school children (and their teachers) across the county. With the pull of video games and screens, we need to be putting more effort into getting children reading. It’s absolutely crucial for good new authors to be supported and reviewed, and so important to children’s emotional well-being and development that they read.” 

Likewise, Natasha Radford, co-owner of Chicken and Frog Bookshop in Brentwood, Essex, “completely agreed” that a conversation around which books find themselves in children’s hands and why was overdue, saying: “We steer away from celebrity titles. This is for several reasons, but mainly because I feel it’s important to provide more choice. Celebrity authors get an unfair percentage of the publicity budget, which pushes others out. If you’re already a big name, do you need so much publicity? I don’t think so.”

She continued: "I hope that [Cottrell Boyce] is right about the shift. It’s down to publishers — especially the big ones — to start celebrating their less-known authors. There’s a stigma around being ‘just’ a children’s author. This needs to be challenged. High-profile awards, broadsheet reviews, etc will help with this."

Rachel Givertz, owner of Bags of Books in Lewes, agreed that “children’s literature needs to be more widely reviewed [as] there are so many amazing books out there that get missed and should be shouted about so much more,” however added that “the reviews in papers are for adults.” 

“At Bags of Books we want to share and encourage the love of reading in children, we absolutely love chatting away to children, finding out what they like and have enjoyed to then recommend and help them choose their next favourite read. But, the reviews in papers are for adults and the books for children,” she said.

“Yes, the adults ultimately purchase the book, so they should see some children’s book reviews, but that doesn’t mean that a book they think sounds good is what the child wants to read or is going to enjoy [...] Ultimately yes, 100% there needs to be more reviews but I think they need to be aimed at children so that it’s the children getting excited about a book, making the decision they want to read it and keeping or creating their love of reading.” 

Kristabelle Williams, SLA School Librarian of the Year for 2021, commented: "It is hugely positive that a national newspaper is committing to increasing coverage of children’s books. What is also vital if we want to really shift things and improve young people’s knowledge of and access to a wide range of quality children’s literature, is to ensure every school employs a professional librarian, who not only provides reviews, recommendations and guidance to students, but also to teachers, parents and carers, and the wider school community.”

Lucas Maxwell, a school librarian at Glenthorne High School in London, concurred, telling The Bookseller : "As a secondary school librarian, I see the impact that reading for pleasure has on the lives of youth on a daily basis. Librarians are in a unique position because their primary role is to get to know the children in their school and find books for them that reflect their interests, experiences and backgrounds. They can find books for them that build empathy and understanding.

“Despite this, school librarians are not valued in the UK. Educational leaders appear to be unaware that having a school library and a librarian are proven to increase student attainment, improve self esteem, develop empathy and improve feelings of wellbeing just to name a few. These are things that can provide immense benefit for children, especially those that are disadvantaged. I am one of the lucky few, the leadership at my school is behind me. For children and their parents to be aware of the diverse range of books that are out there, books that reflect their experiences, fears, anxieties and even joys, books that can change their lives, schools must understand the impact that a school librarian can have.”

This reflects a statement issued by Isobel Hunter, chief executive of Libraries Connected, welcoming calls to increase discussion and media coverage of new children’s books. She said: "We welcome the debate about widening choice and increasing access to books for young readers [...], libraries play a vital role in developing early literacy and inspiring a love of reading."

"The best children’s libraries offer a huge range of titles from well-loved classics to newer stories that reflect modern Britain and explore issues important to children today. Library staff are always happy to offer book suggestions based on age, interests and reading ability – giving children the chance to discover new writers and genres."

"That’s why it’s so important that children’s authors, publishers, parents and teachers work with us to promote and protect libraries at a time of unprecedented financial uncertainty."