BookTrust Represents

Since 2019 BookTrust Represents has reached over 45,640 children across England with free books and school author events. We’ve created memorable learning moments for children by working with some of the UK’s leading authors and illustrators of colour in children’s literature and bringing them into the classroom virtually and in person.

Read more about what other schools are saying about  BookTrust Represents author events

Why representation matters

Books play an important role as mirrors for children: these stories and characters will affect how they see themselves and the world around them, their motivation to read, and their aspirations to become authors and illustrators of the future.

However, finding books that truly reflect the diversity of families in the UK is challenging. Over the past 11 years, fewer than 2% of all authors and/or illustrators of children’s books published in the UK were British people of colour. This is why we’ve launched BookTrust Represents. We want to help get the right books in children’s hands by supporting schools and creators of colour with the knowledge and opportunities needed to alleviate some of these complex barriers.