Pop-Up launches ten books to celebrate diversity

10 Stories to Make a Difference - A shelf full of stories celebrating difference represents a collective giant leap towards diversity by UK children's publishing.

10 Stories to Make a Difference is a new collection of illustrated stories published by children's literature non-profit development agency Pop Up

Pop Up has collaborated with 20 writers and illustrators and a host of editing and design professionals from 12 publishers, and crowdsourced funding, to create the collection which books for ages five to early teens.

The collection is a move towards inclusion say its creators; the books include characters of colour, LGBTQ+ and disabled characters and three have LGBTQ+ themes related to transgender experience, same-sex union and coming out, while the choice of writers and illustrators (eight are writers or illustrators of colour) has been focused on nurturing and empowering new under-represented voices.

10 Stories to Make a Difference books:

A Match for A Mermaid by Eleanor Cullen, illustrated by David Roberts 5-plus
A picky princess rejects a string of suitors in this hilariously illustrated underwater tale about choosing to love whoever you want.
Here be Monsters by Jay Hulme, illustrated by Sahar Haghgoo, Ages 5-plus
In this tender and uplifting verse parable about metamorphosis and the transgender experience, a sea-born creature, who never quite belongs underwater, finds her true home.
Magnificent! by Laura Dockrill, illustrated by Ria Dastidar, Ages 5-plus
A bold, brave shout-out in rhyming text for all those children who feel they don't fit in –offering reassurance that it's difference, not sameness, that makes us magnificent. 
Indigo Takes Flight by Krista M. Lambert, illustrated by Chris Riddell, Ages 7-plus
A deeply moving parable in rhyming text about the inner conflict involved in coming out as LGBTQ+ to family and friends. Indigo’s secret is hard to carry, but turns into something wonderful.
Swallow's Kiss by Sita Brahmachari, illustrated by Jane Ray, Ages 7-plus
When Blessing finds a lost bag of paper birds she follows a trail of hopes and wishes to the community who made them, in this lyrical, free-verse tale about kindness and friendship.
Mistaken for a Bear by Philip Ardagh, illustrated by Jamie Beard, Ages 9-plus
A true story of mistaken identity in Victorian London. Two young dock workers chase a tiger on the loose – a dangerous splash of colour in a world of soot and grime.
In Her Element by Jamila Gavin, illustrated by Jacinta Read, Ages 10-plus
A deep-dive into Sophie's world offers a rare opportunity for young readers to see through the eyes of a main character with cerebral palsy.
That Thing by Avital Balwit, illustrated by Alexis Deacon, Ages 10-plus
A close encounter with an intelligent octopus provides a lesson in the value of curiosity and kindness to animals. When we don’t treat other creatures well, what does that say about us?
Forbidden by Anjali Tiwari, illustrated by Danica Da Silva Pereira, Ages 11-plus
Two girls in India with very different lives are drawn into a passionate friendship, and are determined to break the taboos that divide them.
Together We Win by Marcus Sedgwick, illustrated by Daniel Ido, Ages 11-plus
A mysterious narrator who has witnessed moments of change through history asks if now is the time for a revolution? And what part will you play in making change? 

Nine established writers and illustrators have donated their work to the project, including Philip Ardagh, Sita Bramachari, Alexis Deacon, Laura Dockrill, Jamila Gavin, Jane Ray, Chris Riddell, David Roberts and Marcus Sedgwick. They join 11 talented new writers and illustrators, nine of them publishing for children for the first time, who will collect all the 15% royalties for the books.

Pop Up raised more than £42,000 donations from a crowdfunder campaign to meet production costs. The profits from the books will support Pop Up's mission to "transform lives through literature - especially by working with people in deprived places and challenging circumstances".

Writer Sita Bramachari and illustrator Jane Ray, who met at a Pop Up session, have collaborated on Swallow's Kiss for 10 Stories. Sita Bramachari says: "Pop Up's vision that all children should have access to stories is a dream that takes huge commitment from grassroots connection to publication. This is a story that Pop Up has lived and breathed and one it's equipped to take forward."

Pop Up founder Dylan Calder said that 10 Stories would be an annual event, with plans already being made for a 2022 collection. The launch of the first collection heralds Pop Up's relaunch as a national literature development agency later this year, he added. "Literature has a huge role to play in children's literacy acquisition, now more than ever. The gap in children's education caused by the pandemic, and the untold impact on young people's wellbeing, has made the work that literature organisations do more vital than ever."

The British Library is presenting the 10 Stories launch event on Thursday 24th June, both in-venue and live-streamed, featuring a mixed bill of performances, panel discussions, and an illustration challenge with all 10 illustrators.