Never-before-seen drafts of children s classic on view at Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft
John Vernon Lord, The Giant Jam Sandwich. Courtesy of the artist.
DITCHLING
.- A new exhibition opened at Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft this Spring, to mark 50 years of revered illustrator John Vernon Lords life and work in Ditchling. Lord is one of Britain s most recognised and respected illustrators, owing both to his own practice, and his pioneering contribution to education across almost six decades. Lord has illustrated many classics of English literature including the work of Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear, Aesops fables and James Joyce and is regarded as a pillar of the local arts community in Ditchling where he has lived since the 1970s. Also an author in his own right, Lord has written and illustrated a number of childrens books including The Giant Jam Sandwich (1972), which has since become a modern classic.
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Despite 33.5% of the UK’s school population being from ethnic minority backgrounds, just 5% of the children’s books published in 2019 featured ethnic minority protagonists, and only 2% feature Black heroes.
On a mission to help make a difference, Tangle Teezer joined forces with Woke Babies and a group of Black creators, including ex-Playdays presenter and award-winning British author Trish Cooke, to launch three new books inspired by classic fairy tales. The series of ‘HairyTales’ puts Black protagonists and their afro-textured hair centre stage.
Don’t Cry Wolf, the brand activism agency, is responsible for the creative, strategic development, and execution of HairyTales.
Just two per cent of UK children s books feature black heroes
Half of black children in Britain feel they re not represented in the books they read (Image: Tangle Teezer/Woke Babies)
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The lack of black characters in children’s books leads to people being made to feel excluded and unimportant, an author of a series of new stories has said.
Trish Cooke, who has written three new books in a series titled HairyTales, said more needs to be done to ensure children can access stories which feature a diverse range of characters.
“I think it is just a conversation that shouldn’t still need to be had,” she told the PA news agency.
She added: “It is not just for black children to see themselves in books. It is for everyone to see black children or black characters in books because if they are missing, that’s telling us a story, that’s saying something.