Libreture
"In the United Kingdom, a third of school children identify as Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic yet fewer than 5% of children’s books feature main characters of colour and fewer than 2% of children's book creators are British authors of colour."
Those are sobering stats from the website of children's book publisher, and newest addition to our DRM-free Bookshop List, Lantana Publishing.
Lantana's books promote social and racial justice, female empowerment, empathy, mindfulness and wellbeing, environmental sustainability, and much more. They're a blast of fresh air in an industry that, as the earlier statistics state, is seriously lacking in reflecting actual identities and cultures.
One of my absolute favourites to read with our daughter (okay, maybe alone too) is The Jasmine Sneeze, written and illustrated by Nadine Kadaan.
Oh, poor Haroun!
It's a wonderful tale of a cat in Damascus, who gets a bit annoyed by the scent of the famous jasmine. He decides to do something about it... but things go a bit south when the Jasmine Spirit decides to play a trick back on him.
It's a wonderful tale, and a perfect example of how Lantana supports learning about a different country, people, and culture.
Lantana's e-books are available in ePub format. There are plenty of free downloadable resouces available from their website too - supporting each book, its message, learning, and much more. They really have to be seen to be believed.
For example, take a look at the downloadable resource for The Jasmine Sneeze!
Lantana Publishing are doing amazing work in children's books, Social-Emotion Learning, and publishing at large. And they are a very welcome addition to the DRM-free Bookshop List.
Happy Reading,
Kevin (Team Haroun)