The CCBC has also recognized that in future reports, they will be adding Arabs/Arab Americans to their findings. In their count, a single book can be counted in more than one category. For instance, if a single author identifies as Afro-Latinx, or if a book has two main characters of different backgrounds. This helps explain why percentages don’t add up to 100, and why the numbers for “by” and “about” don’t add up to the total amount of books received. For a quick breakdown, out of the 3,716 books they surveyed, here are the percentages of main characters:
Black/African: 11.9% First/Native Nations: 1% Asian/Asian American: 8.7% Latinx: 5.3% Pacific Islander: 0.05% White: 41.8% Animal/Other: 29.2% LGBTQIAP+: 3.1% Disability: 3.4%
When looking at books featuring characters that were written and/or illustrated by authors and/or illustrators of the same race, here are those breakdowns:
Black/African: 46.4% First/Native Nations: 68.2% Asian/Asian American: 100% Latinx: 95.7% Pacific Islander: 80%
From the CCBC post about the findings, Madeline Tyner writes, “Despite slow progress, the number of books featuring BIPOC protagonists lags far behind the number of books with white main characters—or even those with animal or other characters. Taken together, books about white children, talking bears, trucks, monsters, potatoes, etc. represent nearly three quarters (71%) of children’s and young adult books published in 2019.” Need suggestions for awesome and diverse kid lit? 30 Must-Read Diverse Children’s Books 12 Own Voices Middle Grade Audiobooks 8 Must-Read Diverse Historical Fiction YA Books
