World Book Day: Authors urged to include more disabled characters in children's books

'I’ve learnt just how important it is for children to see themselves in the books they read'

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Authors have been urged to include more characters with disabilities in their stories.

Oscar-winner Rachel Shenton and Julia Donaldson, author of The Gruffalo, have called for more diversity in children’s books as they mark World Book Day on 7 March.

Shenton, who won an Oscar in 2018 for her film about the experiences of a deaf child, said: “When I wrote The Silent Child, I created a film about an issue I’m incredibly passionate about, and have experience of in my own life.

“I’ve learnt just how important it is for … children to see themselves in the programmes and movies they watch and in the books they read. Never seeing themselves can … make their experiences seem invisible.”

Donaldson added: “I’ve seen first-hand how powerful it is for a child to have their lives and their experiences reflected in what they read – to be able to say ‘There’s someone like me!”’

A number of other celebrities have also come out to publicise World Book Day, including the Duchess of Cornwall, astronaut Tim Peake, singer Gary Barlow and Strictly Come Dancing star Anton du Beke.

Peake will be sending out a message urging children to read more with a clip filmed in a mock-up of a space shuttle.

In the video, Peake says that sharing a book for “10 minutes a day can help to create a love of reading for life”, before encouraging children to visit their local bookshop with their £1 World Book Day token.

Kirsten Grant, the director of World Book Day, said: “A love of reading can transform a child’s future, helping them to do well at school, get a good job and live a happy and successful life.

“We are calling on parents and ¬carers everywhere to put reading together at the heart of their World Book Day activities. Whether your children are dressed up today or not, sit down with them for 10 minutes on World Book Day, and every day, and share a story.”

“Our ambition is to restore reading for pleasure as a celebrated national pastime for all.”

Recent research has found that significantly fewer children and young people say they enjoy reading or read daily outside of the classroom than last year.

A study by the National Literacy Trust revealed that just over half (52.5 per cent) of eight to 18-year-olds are reading for pleasure in 2019, down from 58.8 per cent in 2016, and that only a quarter (25.7per cent) are reading daily, compared with 43 per cent in 2015.