More than half of children's books with diverse main characters are by white authors, report finds

A report has found that more than half of children’s books published in the last decade with a minoritised ethnic main character were by white authors and illustrators.

The Inclusive Books for Children Excluded Voices report identified 568 books that were traditionally published in the UK from 2014 to 2023 for children under 10, containing main characters from minority ethnicities or who were disabled or neurodivergent. The report sought to establish the number of authors who share the same identity as the characters they write about (ie “Own Voices”).

Of the minoritised ethnic main characters in these books, the majority (78.3%) were Black, or ambiguously Black or brown, and 53% of those were by white authors and illustrators. Of the 142 picture book stories with a Black main character published over the decade, 45% were by a Black-British creator.

The report found that representation of other ethnicities was “relatively scarce”. Just 24 and 25 picture book stories respectively were found to feature South Asian or East or Southeast Asian main characters over the publishing decade under scrutiny.

It also found that picture book stories with an ambiguously Black or brown main character were dominated by white authors and illustrators, who contributed 83.3% of such books.

The picture was starker for books for babies and toddlers, where 90% of those featuring prominent characters of colour and disabled characters were by white, non-disabled authors and illustrators.

Marcus Satha, co-founder of Inclusive Books for Children, said: “Commissions to create storybooks for younger children with main characters of colour, and disabled and neurodivergent protagonists, have been fulfilled primarily by white, able-bodied, neurotypical creators.

He added: “Meanwhile, Own Voice representation in certain categories, by age and by marginalised group, remains vanishingly small. This approach is out of sync with the changing attitudes and demographics of the UK. Seeking out more diverse Own Voice talent and investing in their stories will likely pay significant dividends, over many years, to publishers brave enough to move away from the status quo.”