Why diversity in kids books is important

This month, Booktopia is highlighting diversity in kids books with a collection of beautiful books that celebrate and embrace kindness, inclusivity and self acceptance. Today, our Brand & Content manager Mark Harding is on the blog to share some of his personal story and how important books can be to kids still figuring out who they are. Read on!

Booktopia’s Brand & Content Manager, Mark Harding

On books and belonging

I can remember being a confused child.

I had always felt different, but for a long time I lacked the concepts or the language to really understand how. And in all of the stories that my parents read to me, or that I borrowed from the library, I never saw myself reflected. What was reinforced to me over and over again was that I felt different, acted different, and didn’t quite belong.

This sense of not belonging was internalised, not just for me, but for generations of diverse children, and it’s the kind of thing you carry with you always. Even if you’re lucky enough, as I have been, to find your place as an adult, the feeling still persists. You can get better at dealing with it, but it’s always going to be there.

Stories are our way of understanding the world and our place in it. It is therefore of the utmost importance that we share diverse stories with our children.

I am now a proud married gay man, with two little girls who are growing up in our rainbow family. It is truly remarkable that there are so many stories available now that reflect diversity. Our children have grown up being able to see their family reflected back to them in the books they read, and have been exposed to so many diverse stories, characters, and ways of existing.

I don’t know who my children will be when they are grown. There are so many things about themselves they are yet to discover, but it is my sincere hope that they don’t have to bear the struggles of feeling alone, isolated and ashamed, simply because of who they are. Sharing and celebrating diverse stories with them is an important way that I can give them something that I missed in my childhood.

The books featured in our Celebrating Diversity in Kids Books campaign celebrate inclusivity, kindness, and self-acceptance, with many wonderful stories to discover and share. And if you’re reading this blog, I don’t need to tell you the impact a good story can have on your life.

Our picks for kids

Here are some highlights from our Diversity in Kids Books collection!

Day Break

by Amy McQuire and Matt Chun (Illustrator)

Day Break is the story of a family making their way back to Country on January 26. We see the strength they draw from being together, and from sharing stories as they move through a shifting landscape.

Buy it here

How to Be a Real Man

by Scott Stuart

Scott Stuart encourages boys to embrace who they truly are in this empowering and funny story, smashing age-old assumption about what it means to be a man.

Buy it here

Welcome to Consent

by Yumi Stynes and Dr Melissa Kang

An inclusive, frank and funny guide to navigating consent for tweens and teens of all genders, from the award-winning authors of Welcome To Your Period.

Buy it here

Wide Big World

by Maxine Beneba Clarke and Isobel Knowles (Illustrator)

Difference is everywhere, just look and see. This whole-wide-big-world is wondrous-unique. A gorgeous picture book about our diverse and wonderful world.

Buy it here

The Edge of Thirteen

by Nova Weetman

This story of fitting in and falling out perfectly captures how it feels to balance on the edge of who you are and who you want to be.

Buy it here

The Boy from the Mish

by Gary Lonesborough

A funny and heart-warming queer Indigenous YA novel, set in a rural Australian community, about seventeen-year-old Jackson finding the courage to explore who he is, even if it scares him.

Buy it here

Explore our Diversity in Kids Books collection

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About the Contributor

Mark Harding