“Black to the Future begins as Black History Month Ends..” A new Afrofuturistic festival; events throughout November & December ⬇️

Very excited to see the ‘Reflecting Realities’ research now extending to a new Arts Council England -funded Project on Disability representations in children’s books. And our fabulous book reviewer, disability campaigner, J Eaton, is joining the steering group!

Had an application in from someone to be a reading helper in a local primary school who quoted Jay Blades MBE’s documentary on literacy as their reason for applying😍 Thank you Jay for highlighting the issue of children leaving school without the reading skills they need🙏🏼

The Machine Merger Talk and performance - AI, creativity and an optimistic future…? Sat Dec 9th 1.30pm - 2.40pm Brewery Tap 53 Tontine Street Folkestone CT20 1JR tickettailor.com/events/livingw…

A glorious night celebrating the new British Library exhibition “Malorie Blackman The Power of Stories” Malorie Blackman I want to get every school here to see the craft & legacy of great authorship-curated in to a journey that will make every child feel they can be a writer…

🔊Our 6th annual #ReflectingRealities report is out now: ow.ly/8JJc50Qcoy0 Our reports are a key driver in the significant, positive changes in UK children’s publishing, & there are many more books reflecting the realities of children in our world now than in 2017🧵👇

The tragic terrible news has come to me that Benjamin Zephaniah's family have announced that Benjamin has died. I'm devastated. I admired him, respected him, learnt from him, loved him. Love and condolences to the family and to all who loved him too.

We are devastated to hear of Benjamin Zephaniah’s passing. He was a kind, generous, exceptional human being. We are forever grateful for his immense contribution to language & literature. His artistry and commitment to humanity lives on through his legacy independent.co.uk/arts-entertain…

Hair education, anti racist kids club, anti racist training for adults, community engagement programs, teen book club, men’s book club, book festival, and much more. Some of this we're doing, but there is so much more we want to do. And we will. We're in this for the long haul …

Have you seen our latest #ReflectingRealities report? In 2022, 14% of main characters in children's books were racially minoritised, up from 1% in the first report! Our reports have been a key driver in the significant changes in children’s publishing: ow.ly/8JJc50Qcoy0

✨ COMPETITION TIME ✨ 150 exclusive signed Keedie proofs are being sent out this week, we’re offering you the chance to be the lucky recipient of one of them! Win a proof by commenting a 🦈 on this thread and make sure you are following us AND Elle McNicoll ✍🏻📚🩷💜💙 - closes 15/12!

We cannot wait for this! In Conversation with the winners of The Diverse Book Awards 2023 - Rashmi Sirdeshpande, J.T. Williams, Danielle Jawando and Marie-Claire Amuah on January 11th at 6.30pm. Bring all of your questions. FREE! eventbrite.co.uk/e/in-conversat… #TheDBAwards

If you are struggling financially this Christmas, come in and use our pay it forward tags to buy some presents for the kids and yourself. No questions asked. And if you need a cuppa too, we'll make you one.

And just like that, we’ve come to the end of Onyeka’s adventures. Thanks to #BrittanyJackson for another brilliant cover and to my team at @simonkids_uk for all you do. Onyeka and the Heroes of the Dawn publishes on March 14th and is available for pre-order now.

From the Letterbox Library Archives: It was the 1990s. And we ran actual conferences.🤓🤓 #41Years

Just happily signing 'Eid Mubarak' 🌙 bookplates on a Saturday night ... #Ramadan begins Monday and then comes Eid ...order a copy of #TheBestEidEver through ReadingRocks and do have a look at the cute children's reviews below #inclusiveclassrooms

Plant the seeds of imagination with the gift of books this May. For too many disadvantaged children, books are a luxury their family can’t afford. Just £3 a month from you today would help more children experience the joy of reading.