Children’s books implicitly shape the minds of young readers - and are covertly censored in many ways. But revising occasional words will usually not shift the values regarded as outdated in the text.
There’s a small but growing number of books for younger readers that feature main characters with disabilities.
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Edwina Preston tells why her favourite literary heroine is Seven Little Australians’ Judy Woolcot and her ‘bone-true authenticity of self’ – beating fellow tomboys Jo March and Anne Shirley.
How can you get your kids to read this summer? Research has found they respond well to reading non-fiction – so we’ve gathered 6 top non-fiction books, recommended by the kids themselves.
Blake’s cover image from The Big Friendly Giant by Roald Dahl.
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Because bias is learned from a very early age, reading and learning about diverse experiences cannot start too soon. Here are five Australian picture books that centre on queer stories.
Whether in defeat or victory, each Olympian’s story is one of dedication and perseverance. Children’s authors have long cottoned on to their literary potential
Anguished cries of ‘cancel culture’ rang out with news that six Dr Seuss books would be shelved. But canceling Dr Seuss is not possible, nor is it the best way to build diversity and understanding.
He called them ‘stinkers’ and ‘nauseating little warts’, but author Roald Dahl’s characterisation of children as vulnerable is necessary for them to ultimately triumph.
Children who may not want to read for pleasure can be influenced to take it up.
Detail from ‘Birdsong’ by Cree-Métis artist Julie Flett, which won the 2020 TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award for most distinguished book. The story follows an intergenerational friendship and speaks to change in children’s lives.
(Greystone Kids)
A researcher who explored 500 picture books created by authors or illustrators living in Canada suggests books that are extraordinary in both text and illustration.
A study shows there is a lack of ethnic and other diversity in award-winning early childhood picture books. This means our children are still getting a narrow window of the world.