It seems like almost every day now there is a conversation about the lack of diversity in the publishing industry, with emphasis on children’s books – after all, children’s books are one of the earliest places we learn about our place in society, and failing to show children of different backgrounds can have a detrimental effect on the self-image of such children. Amidst all this talking, it seems like the mentions of people who are actually DOING something about it are few and far between.

That is why we are putting the spotlight on one of our newest publishers, Firetree Books. Firetree publishes a “range of books with fun and exciting stories celebrating our culturally-diverse and inter-connected world and putting all children ‘in the picture'”. Started by Dr Verna Wilkins – a figurehead for children’s book publishing for over 30 years, having started Tamarind Books in 1987 – and her Tamarind…