Racial diversity in children’s books grows, but slowly

Publisher HarperCollins recently launched Heartdrum, a Native American-focused imprint. Photo: Handout

In the world of children’s books, villagers can protect their water from a black snake, dark skin is as beautiful as the night sky, and a little girl’s two puffs of hair can make her feel like she’s floating above the clouds.

Kids are seeing more of these possibilities in the books they read as authors make a bigger push to reflect the diversity around them.