Children’s books shape the way young minds understand the world—and their place in it. But take a closer look at the children’s book characters and who’s being represented, and a troubling pattern emerges: not every child sees themselves reflected in the pages they read.
From heroic animals to overwhelmingly white protagonists, the children’s book characters populating children’s literature still fall short of reflecting the diversity of today’s world. How many main characters are girls? How often do we see children of color, kids with disabilities, or LGBTQ+ identities? And who’s writing these stories?
We dug into the latest research to break down representation in children’s books by the numbers. The data reveals both progress and persistent gaps – offering a clearer picture of who’s included, who’s missing, and why it matters.
Key Takeaways:
- Children’s book characters shape early views on identity, belonging, and who matters in the world.
- White characters and animal protagonists still dominate children’s literature.
- BIPOC, disabled, and LGBTQ+ characters remain underrepresented, especially in picture books.
- Diverse authorship is limited, with most stories still written by white creators.
- Representation is improving—but parity hasn’t been reached.
- Authentic, everyday stories of marginalized identities are still rare.
- Who tells the story matters as much as who’s in it.
- Parents, educators, librarians, and creators all have power to promote inclusive stories.
- Publishing gaps reveal opportunities for more voices and stories that reflect the real world.
Why representation in children’s books matters
The stories we share with children don’t just entertain – they teach. Long before kids can fully articulate their thoughts, they’re absorbing powerful messages about the world: who matters, who leads, who gets rescued, and who disappears altogether.
Research shows that by the time children are just 5 to 7 years old, they’ve already begun forming ideas about identity, race, gender roles, and social hierarchy. The books they read play a crucial role in shaping those early impressions.
Scholar Rudine Sims Bishop captured this beautifully with her now-famous metaphor: books can be mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors.
- Mirrors reflect children’s own experiences and identities, showing them that their lives have value.
- Windows offer views into lives that are different from theirs, cultivating curiosity and compassion.
- Sliding glass doors let children step into another world—and return with greater empathy and understanding.
But when representation is absent, limited, or built on harmful stereotypes, books stop being tools of discovery. They can reinforce feelings of exclusion, invisibility, or “otherness,” even for the youngest readers.
So how well are books delivering those mirrors and windows? Let’s take a look at the data.
Children’s book characters by the numbers
Despite decades of advocacy for inclusion in children’s literature, the numbers reveal that many books still center the same kinds of children’s book characters and leave others on the margins. Here’s how the most recent data breaks down across race, gender, ability, identity, and authorship.
Race & ethnicity: A mirror that’s still cracked
According to the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC), which tracks U.S. children’s publishing, books published in 2019 featured:
- 41.8% white protagonists
- 29.2% animal or non-human protagonists
- 28.9% combined characters from all BIPOC groups
Here’s a closer look at that 28.9%:
- 11.9% Black or African American
- 8.7% Asian or Asian American
- 5.3% Latinx
- 1.0% Indigenous (Native American)
- 0.05% Pacific Islander
Not only are white children’s book characters still the majority, but animals and inanimate objects appear more often than all children of color combined.
And while representation is improving slowly, many groups remain vastly underrepresented, especially Indigenous, Latinx, and Pacific Islander communities.
In the UK, a 2019 report from CLPE found that only 10% of children’s book characters were from ethnic minority backgrounds, and just 5% of books had a main character who wasn’t white.
Gender: Boys still take center stage
Gender balance in children’s book characters has improved over the decades, but imbalance persists, especially in the youngest age groups.
A study of over 6,000 books published between 1900 and 2000 found that:
- 57% featured male protagonists
- Only 31% centered on female leads
- Male animals were three times more likely to be main characters than female animals
While picture books in recent years have moved closer to gender parity, subtle gender biases remain. Male characters are often portrayed as leaders, explorers, or problem-solvers, while female characters are more likely to be sidekicks, caregivers, or emotional anchors.
Even animal children’s book characters (which are ostensibly gender-neutral) are more frequently gendered male by default in illustrations and narration.
Disability: Still a rare sight
Disability representation in children’s book characters continues to lag far behind reality. In 2019:
- Only 3.4% of children’s books featured a disabled main character
- By contrast, about 1 in 4 Americans lives with a disability
When disabilities are included, they’re often portrayed through a narrow lens, focusing on “overcoming” or serving as an emotional lesson for non-disabled characters. Authentic, everyday stories of kids with disabilities are still few and far between.
LGBTQ+ representation: Small but growing
Representation of LGBTQ+ characters has slowly increased, particularly in middle grade and young adult books. But in the realm of picture books and early readers, visibility remains limited.
- In 2019, 3.1% of books tracked by the CCBC included LGBTQIA+ characters or themes
- By 2023, that number had risen to 7%, though many stories still center on coming out or identity struggles
Few books portray LGBTQ+ characters simply existing within broader narratives – like going to school, solving mysteries, or making friends. And trans, nonbinary, and queer representation is still extremely rare for younger readers.
Who’s telling the stories? Authorship matters
Diverse characters are essential, but who tells the story can be just as important.
- In 2019, just 5.7% of children’s books were written by Black authors
- 6.2% by Latinx authors
- In total, books by BIPOC creators made up only about 12%
By 2022, the diversity of creators had improved somewhat:
- 40% of children’s books had at least one BIPOC author or illustrator
- However, 71% still had at least one white creator involved
Authentic storytelling often depends on lived experience. When marginalized characters are written about but not by members of their communities, the result can feel hollow or even harmful. Encouraging diverse authorship for children’s books ensures that stories aren’t just diverse in appearance, but also in perspective and truth.
Progress… but not parity
There’s no question that children’s literature has come a long way. A generation ago, finding a picture book with a Black girl protagonist, a nonbinary kid, or a main character in a wheelchair might have felt like discovering a needle in a haystack. Today, those stories do exist, and they’re more visible than ever.
Initiatives like #WeNeedDiverseBooks, increased pressure on publishers to diversify their catalogs, and a growing demand from educators and families have all pushed the industry forward.
Between 2014 and 2022, the number of books by BIPOC authors nearly tripled, and representation of nonwhite characters has steadily ticked upward.
But the numbers tell a more complicated story.
- White children’s book characters and white creators still dominate the landscape.
- Animal protagonists are more common than most marginalized groups combined.
- Disability and LGBTQ+ representation remain strikingly low, particularly in books for early readers.
- Diverse children’s book characters are often featured in stories that focus primarily on identity or struggle – rather than in everyday, joyful narratives where they get to simply exist, imagine, or save the day.
And even when books are diverse on the surface, the publishing gatekeepers are still overwhelmingly white, which affects what stories get prioritized, how they’re framed, and who they reach.
Representation is no longer rare, but it’s far from normalized.
What we can do
If these numbers feel disheartening, here’s the good news: change is not only possible, it’s already happening. And every parent, educator, librarian, reader, and writer has a role to play in moving children’s literature from representation to real equity.
For parents & educators: Curate with intention
- Seek out books by diverse authors, not just books about diverse characters.
- Fill shelves with stories that reflect a range of lived experiences
- Use books as conversation starters: “Who’s missing from this story?” or “What’s another way this could’ve been told?”
For librarians & bookstores: Advocate with your shelf space
- Make inclusive displays that highlight BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled, and neurodiverse authors year-round (not just during heritage months).
- Recommend books that normalize diversity rather than tokenize it.
- Push back against book bans and challenges targeting marginalized voices.
For authors & illustrators: Find the gaps – and fill them
The numbers don’t just reveal problems, they highlight opportunities. If you’re a creator wondering what stories to tell, data like this is a treasure map.
- Write the book you never saw as a kid. Chances are, someone else still needs it today.
- If you’re from an underrepresented community, your voice matters more than ever.
- Even if you’re not, consider where your privilege intersects with your platform. Who can you amplify, support, or collaborate with?
There are vast, underserved spaces in children’s literature: Pacific Islander perspectives, joyful disability stories, Afro-Indigenous folktales, Muslim fantasy adventures. The publishing world needs those stories, and the kids reading them need them even more.
Every story matters – especially yours
Children’s books are more than just bedtime stories, they’re blueprints for how young readers see themselves, others, and the world around them. And while the industry is slowly moving toward greater inclusion, the data is clear: there are still far too many children who don’t see their lives, their families, or their futures reflected in the pages.
That gap isn’t just a problem. It’s an opportunity.
If you’re a writer, this is your moment. Whether you want to center a disabled heroine, write joyful stories about queer families, or bring underrepresented cultures to the forefront, there are kids waiting to see that story. Your story.
And here at selfpublishing.com, we’re here to help you bring it to life.
From editing and illustration to marketing and distribution, we support authors at every stage of the process – especially those creating the stories the world most needs. You don’t need to wait for a traditional publisher’s permission to write something meaningful, inclusive, and powerful. You can start now.
Because representation matters. Stories matter. And if you’re ready to help change the future of children’s books, we’re ready to help you publish it.