Themes

Girls and boys get to jump over gender stereotypes..and be themselves! A joyful bookshelf of stories which embraces emotionally intelligent, thoughtful boys and strong, active girls. Encourages children to feel free with their role play and with their ambitions. You will never find a passive, sequined princess in this pack!

An expert selection of biographies celebrating icons from the past and icons in the making, with a necessary emphasis on women's history and Black history. Texts which suit a range of ages and abilities from sparse text picture books pitched perfectly to the very young (see for eg the Little People series), to graphic/comic form text to short stories to indepth chapter books and satisfyingly chunky anthologies.

Launched during Mental Health Awareness Week 2016, this section introduces some of our top picks for books exploring mental health issues as they impact on children- including both stories about young people who see the adults in their lives struggling or living with mental health problems as well as narratives where the young people themselves have mental health issues.

Upbeat portrayals of children and adults of all abilities getting on with their busy, fun-filled lives. Along with the wider disability movement, we try as much as possible to ensure that our disabilities books aren't 'about' disability but instead present disabled children and adults 'casually', as a natural part of the landscape.

Many of you have contacted us over the years asking for books with mixed race characters and so this section has been specially created to showcase our favourites! We know that the number of books published every year featuring mixed race protagonists/families don't begin to represent our society accurately, so we hope this section will also serve to highlight the very real need out there.

The winners and short listed titles of the Little Rebels Award for Radical Children's Fiction. A fantastic array of titles for the 0-12 age group, informed by inclusive/anti-discriminatory concerns and/or those that promote social equality or social justice.

An empowering and sophisticated collection of books addressing bullying in all its forms and from the perspectives of both bullies and the bullied. Anti-bullying titles are surprisingly hard to find, so we have searched high and low for you!

Famous for our Black History selections, this dazzling collection includes biographies of both historical and contemporary icons, as well as accounts of the anti-slavery, civil rights and anti-racist movements in the UK, North America and beyond. We strive for a good gender balance in this pack and we work very hard, often against the odds, to include as much Black British History as possible. We think we're doing pretty well..!

Moving and affirmative narratives of new arrivals, refugees and migrants, with a strong focus on the UK. A clever combination of real life stories and imaginative fiction which challenge preconceptions and give an understanding of what it is like to start over in a new country.

Sensitive and soothing stories and resources which give children the tools to cope with loss and grief. Includes children's 'typical' first experiences such as the loss of a pet and the death of a grandparent but whenever possible we offer much harder to find titles such as those dealing with the death of a parent, sibling or friend.

A superb collection of books designed to help children manage their feelings and develop a positive sense of themselves. Includes both stories and resource books; explores everything from feeling crotchety to super-sunny!

Affirming and positive portrayals of families which include adopted and fostered children. All have been carefully vetted by our expert social worker reviewers. Representations of fostering specifically are notoriously hard to find in books for pre-teen children but we include these wherever possible.

From eco warriors to civil rights activists, we celebrate and honour children and young people (both real and fictional) who have made a stand, bringing lasting transformations to their families, communities and the environment. Truly life-affirming!

This section includes books with LGBTQ+ protagonists as well as books which have significant LGBTQ+ secondary characters (if they are entirely relegated to the background they won't appear in this section). There are books which explore LGBTQ+ identities and relate joyful coming-out narratives, alongside books which are 'incidental' in their representation for eg: a family which just so happens to be headed up by same-sex parents. We also stock biographies of historical figures and contemporary role models who we now know identified somewhere along the LGBTQ+ spectrum (but if the book itself avoids mentioning their identity, we won't include it here!) Fingers crossed- this section will continue to grow in the number of titles on offer and in the number of UK-published titles and by UK creators.

Wonderful stories of children forging first friendships and friendships across social divides as well as positive narratives about confronting challenges such as exclusion and peer pressure.

A thoughtful selection which recognises that every child is a competent learner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured (EYFS Framework). Fiction and non-fiction books perfectly suited to exploring identity, inclusion, our differences, our similarities- and for instilling confidence and pride in every child.

Books with earth-hugging Green credentials! Perfect for opening children's eyes to the beauties of the natural world and for introducing practical steps that little ones can take to protect the environment.

We are famous for sourcing books which deal realistically and yet reassuringly with separation and divorce. Child-centred fiction and non-fiction which really gets to the heat of children's anxieties in the face of family breakdown.

The glorious diversity of family life! Books which reflect and celebrate our many different family structures including representations of single parent families, same sex parents, adoptees, step-parents, mixed race families- and books which explore life-changing family events such as a new arrival...

Books which address the complexities of peace and conflict in accessible, thoughtful and, ultimately, inspiring way. Includes age-appropriate narratives of civil conflicts, wars and forced migrations as well as clever stories about how our personal acts of peace and aggression resonate with the global.