expertise in children’s literature and creative flair.”
Fabia spoke with us about her approach to reviewing and her intent to treat each book seriously as a piece of literature and her belief that children’s books are the foundation for lifelong learning. “A good reviewer thinks deeply about each book – text, images and design – how well pages convey narratives/factual information and the effect this has on them as a reader.” There’s additional layers of complexity for inclusive books as Fabia explains: “You’re looking even more closely at authentic character portrayals, for example. The tricky bit is being able to encapsulate this intense, multi-layered reading experience clearly, concisely and convincingly.”
Sarah was conscious of this need for concision from the outset, saying: “We thought that parents and caregivers looking for books would appreciate brevity to aid quick decisions. Our reviews are just 50 words long. For a moment, I wobbled, wondering if I was wasting the talents of our highly- qualified reviewers by imposing such a constraint. As the reviews started to flow, I saw that instead, these were people who could make the most of five words: each review captures both the essence of the book and the reviewers! “With such a diverse review team, in terms of both professional and lived experience, this has made for truly rich content.”
This targeted approach for the audience is something Tanja Jennings, school librarian and former Carnegies judge, sees as vital. She outlined the
Autumn-Winter 2023
valuable role reviews play, explaining that “book reviews are important because they can promote awareness of the wide range of literature published each year across a cavalcade of genres and formats. They can guide adults to age-appropriate choices and can act as portals into writers’ minds. They have the power to engage potential readers with award-winning illustrators and writers, to shine spotlights onto hidden history and to act as tasters for diverse, inclusive, regional and visual voices.”
Alongside the review team, Inclusive Books for Children also employs a researcher. The post is held by Patricia Snake, a former school librarian and graduate from the University of Central Lancashire’s MA in publishing. Patricia’s background as a school librarian gave her a real understanding about inclusive books.
“Diverse books show ALL children that they are worthy of respect, and that a hero is just as likely to come from their house
as anywhere else! It helps expose them to worlds they might never have known about, and find communities through these characters; we’ve seen this on a huge scale with books like Heartstopper (Alice Oseman), sharing the idea that children who are ‘different’ can experience joy and find belonging. This needs to be seen for every community in as many books as possible.”
That became Patricia’s motivation for working with Inclusive Books for Children. She explains more about her role, adding: “I have been researching picture books that are created by underrepresented authors. This has helped me to see how marginalised writers bring their own cultural joy to these narratives, how a myriad of backgrounds can bring inspiration and new exciting concepts, and how their own pasts can help shape a future for young readers where everyone has a moment in the spotlight.”
Pondering the value of a site like PEN&INC. 23
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