Diversity Matters

When I was a little girl growing up in 1960s London, England — yes, I’m that old — I loved books. I devoured them. But diversity in children’s literature? It simply didn’t exist.

The only picture book I remember reading as a child featuring a person of colour was Little Black Sambo — one of the most patronizing children’s books ever written. I’ll never forget my mother tossing it onto the table in disgust, rolling her eyes as if to say, well, at least she’s reading. We’ll worry about the rest later.

 

Searching for Representation

By the time I was eight, I had stopped reading picture books and moved on to full-text storybooks. But even then, I was still looking for something more — representation. I didn’t have the language for it yet, but I wanted to see people like me. Or unlike me. People who lived, led, struggled, people who mattered.

 

So, I began to explore: fables, legends, folk tales from around the world, West Africa, Native America, Ireland, Norway. These stories exposed me to different cultures, reminding me that the world was full of different people.

 

My search for meaningful stories got me into trouble more than once. I would sneak into the adult section of the library, drawn to stories that felt richer, deeper, more real, only to be admonished by the librarian, "What are you doing here? Get back to the children’s section."
But the children’s books didn’t have what I was looking for.

Even as an unaware little girl, I was already pushing back against invisibility.

 

Thank Heaven Things Changed

Today, we live in a time where diverse books for children do exist. Books that tell joyful, honest, and empowering stories of children who are Black, Brown, Arab, Asian, Jewish, Queer, Neurodivergent, Disabled — or just different.

Books that promote inclusiveness.

Books where children see themselves not as the sidekick, the stereotype, or the silent one — but as the hero/heroine, protagonist, the star.

And yet, this hard-won progress, in some places, is under threat.

 

Stepping Backwards

After everything we fought for — after all the doors we opened — those same doors are being slammed shut again.

Books like mine, Adianna & the Toad, a multicultural fairy tale about a Black girl princess and courage, boundaries, and self-worth, are being challenged and even banned in some parts of the United States.

Yes, banned. In 2025.

Stories written to uplift young readers are now being labelled “controversial.”

Why?

 

 

 Inclusiveness and Representation as Threats

Who are these people who feel threatened by books that reflect the diverse and awesome uniqueness of children?

They are not protecting children. They are ignorantly controlling who gets to be visible — and who doesn’t.

 

Book bans are not about books. They’re about erasure.

 

When adults censor stories, they’re not safeguarding children. They’re safeguarding their own narrow-minded view of the world.
But let’s be clear:
Representation isn’t dangerous. Silence is.

Children grow when they see themselves in books.
And they grow even more when they see others who are different.
That’s how you build empathy, curiosity, compassion, acceptance of others, and understanding.

  

Why I Wrote Adianna & the Toad

I wrote Adianna & the Toad because I remember what it felt like to search through stacks of books and never find myself.
I wrote it so that today’s girls — especially girls of colour, “tweens” who feel like they don’t quite fit — can open a book and identify and see themselves in it.

No more settling for harmful caricatures or patronizing storylines.
No more having to sneak into adult sections to find the truth.

They deserve stories that reflect who they are — right there in the children’s section, where they’ve always belonged.

 

 What Parents and Teachers Can Do

If you live in one of those fear-driven states where book bans are happening, here’s how you can fight back:

• 📚 Support your local schools and libraries when they resist censorship.
• 📣 Speak up — at school board meetings, in your community, or online.
• 🛒 Buy diverse books for your children to read at home
• 🧠 Talk to your children about what they’re reading. Encourage questions.
• 📖 Read with your children, and explore stories with them.
• 🗣️ Tell them the truth: All stories matter. No one has the right to erase them.

 

We Can’t Go Backwards

Not when we’ve come so far.
Not when kids need more inclusion, not less.
Not when the next generation is watching and listening.

For God’s sake —
Let the children read.