10 of the best…
Inclusive children’s publishers you should know about
Rising costs? Tight budgets? Independent publishers often face financial challenges in bringing brilliant children’s books to market while staying profitable as smaller businesses.
Despite these obstacles, our amazing indies continue to thrive, often taking bold risks to introduce fresh new voices to the UK children’s book scene. They publish exciting and, often, more unusual titles that cater to different reader tastes and attract new audiences.
We wanted to spotlight 10 specialist small presses that should be on your radar right now. Their lists feature refreshingly diverse books for all children, from picture books to middle grade and beyond.
Why are these 10 indies so special? They publish inclusive children’s books, of course! Here they are in alphabetical order:
1. Alanna Max
Publisher: Alanna Max
Managing Director: Fay Erek
Location: North London, UK
Age range: 0 to 7
What they publish: Their high-quality, naturally inclusive picture books focus on stories and characters that reflect modern-day society.
Why we love them: Alanna Max has specific expertise in publishing naturally inclusive books for children in the early years. Their Lenny, Zeki and Booky Girl Lulu series are must-haves for early years settings. Two Zeki titles, Zeki Goes to the Park and Zeki Hikes With Daddy, were shortlisted for the 2024 IBC Awards.
Website: Alanna Max
We believe diversity, equality and belonging make more sense when they are part of an inclusive approach. (Fay Erek)
2. Barefoot Books
Publisher: Barefoot Books
Managing Director: Nancy Traversy
Location: Central London, UK division
Age range: 0 to 12
What they publish: Barefoot offers a large range of children’s books with a significant focus on global awareness and inclusivity. They’re known for their culturally rich stories, educational texts and popular activity decks.
Why we love them: Founded by two mums over 30 years ago, Barefoot creates joyful books that celebrate diversity. One of their board book titles, Too Green!, won the IBC Awards Baby and Toddler category in 2024.
We create books that help children celebrate diversity in all its forms, while ensuring that every child sees themselves in the stories. (Nancy Traversy)
Website: Barefoot Books
3. Dinosaur Books UK
Publisher: Dinosaur Books UK
Managing Director: Sonya McGilchrist
Location: South London, UK
Age range: 5 to 14
What they publish: Dinosaur Books publishes engaging, adventure-filled children’s fiction, with fun, appealing themes, such as cricket or dinosaurs, and more unexpected settings, such as ancient West Africa or Victorian theatre.
Why we love them: Founded and run singled-handedly since 2015, Dinosaur Books is an inspirational Black-led micro-publisher focused on child readers’ needs and tastes. They are also passionate about championing under-represented voices.
Inclusive books show children the full picture and remind us that everyone is equal. (Sonya McGilchrist)
Website: Dinosaur Books UK
4. Faerie Press
Publisher: Faerie Press
Chair: Seren McKeever
Democratic board: Ryan Johnston, Seren McKeever, Riley Davies, Courtney Jordan, CJ Nichol, Chloe Kennedy, Koril Brennan, Stocking Gibney, Anna Conway, Kelsey 'Richie' Malcolm, Megan Erwin, Rachel Hasson, Eve Magahran
Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland
What they publish: As a brand-new independent venture founded in 2023, Faerie Press has not published any children’s titles yet (they have a children’s anthology due out in 2024). We’re including them as an exciting early proposition in the inclusive children’s book space.
Why we love them: Faerie Press is an LGBTQ+-focused, Community Interest Company hoping to bring exciting inclusive children’s stories to print. With a focus on amplifying voices from under-represented communities and nurturing early career talent from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, they should offer engaging kids’ books with fresh perspectives for audiences across the Irish Sea. One to watch!
We think it is important for all children and young people to have access to books that are inclusive of LGBTQIA+ lives, experiences and themes. Through our work we aim to bring inclusive stories and voices to the homes, schools and families of children who want to explore the imagination of storytelling! (Ryan Johnston)
Website: Faerie Press
5. Knights Of
Publisher: Knights Of
Managing Director: Aimée Felone
Age range: 5 to 18
Location: South London, UK
What they publish: A decisively diverse list of inclusive early readers right through to YA books, covering various genres and with a focus on championing under-represented authors and illustrators.
Why we love them: As a multi-award-winning, Black-led female team, Knights Of is committed to redressing the balance in representation not just through the highly original children’s literature they publish but also through their company make-up. Their list is bold, exciting and unapologetically inclusive.
Bringing inclusive children’s books to readers opens up new worlds of imagination and possibility and is vital in raising a generation of empathetic individuals. (Aimée Felone)
Website: Knights Of
6. Lantana Publishing
Publisher: Lantana Publishing
Associate Publisher: Christofere Fila
Location: Newbury, Berkshire, UK
Age range: 2 to 12
What they publish: This award-winning inclusive publisher mainly produces beautiful picture books in hardback and paperback. They have recently toe-dipped into middle-grade books for 9 to 12s and chapter books for 7 to 9s, adding a small but attractive offering of older titles to their hugely diverse list.
Why we love them: Lantana Publishing create children’s books from under-represented voices across the globe, ensuring children from all cultural and ethnic backgrounds can find stories that resonate with their experiences.
At Lantana, inclusive publishing means that kids who look like me get to grow up seeing multicultural and diverse representations as positive and enriching. (Christofere Fila)
Website: Lantana Publishing
7. Otter-Barry Books
Publisher: Otter-Barry Books
Managing Director: Janetta Otter-Barry
Location: Hereford, Herefordshire, UK
Age range: 1 to 15+
What they publish: Otter-Barry Books makes illustrated titles for young children and teens including picture books, young fiction and poetry, all with a strong emphasis on diversity and inclusion.
Why we love them: This small but mighty indie publisher is dedicated to publishing innovative and thought-provoking children’s literature that reflects the diversity of modern-day society, addresses important social issues and celebrates different cultural perspectives.
We are passionate about inclusive publishing, through both words and pictures. We want ALL children to recognise themselves in our books and to feel valued. (Janetta Otter-Barry)
8. Owlet Press
Publisher: Owlet Press
Managing Director: Sam Langley-Swain
Location: Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, UK
Age range: 2 to 11
What they publish: A diverse range of children’s books, including picture books, board books and early readers, focusing on inclusive stories and characters.
Why we Love them: This LGBTQ-run small press is dedicated to making naturally inclusive children’s books that reflect the diversity of our communities. They are adept at discovering unheard voices, talented authors and illustrators from all backgrounds who may not have previously accessed opportunities to publish their stories.
The right book, in the right hands can change the world. (Sam Langley-Swain)
Website: Owlet Press
9. Sweet Cherry Publishing
Publisher: Sweet Cherry Publishing
Managing Directors: Abdul Kadir Thadha
Location: Leicester, Leicestershire, UK
Age range: 0 to 12+
What they publish: A range of children’s books, including classics, contemporary fiction and educational series.
Why we love them: Sweet Cherry Publishing is an award-winning indie, run by an ethnically diverse team, that offers high-quality, affordable kids’ books catering to a diverse audience. They aim to make reading accessible and enjoyable for children from all backgrounds.
Inclusivity means giving every reader the chance to see themselves positively in a book, regardless of background, ability or setting. (Abdul Kadir Thadha)
Website: Sweet Cherry Publishing
10. Tiny Owl Publishing
Publisher: Tiny Owl Publishing
Publisher/Co-founder: Delaram Ghanimifard
Location: Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK
Age range: 3 to 7
What they publish: Tiny Owl produces original picture books by authors from around the globe, with a specialism in high-quality, translated Iranian titles.
Why we love them: Founded by an Iranian husband-and-wife team, Tiny Owl not only publish wholly inclusive children’s books, but their intercultural approach to the process results in beautiful reads that help broaden children’s worldview.
Through books, we sneak into each other’s lives and experience what would be impossible to see and know from our individual homes. Books are bridges. For these bridges to be able to connect us together, they should include all of us. Nobody should be left out. (Delaram Ghanimifard)
Website: Tiny Owl Publishing
These 10 inclusive children’s book publishers are leading the way in creating richly diverse books to nurture and broaden young readers’ minds. You can find many of their wonderful books on the IBC website, so do have a browse.
Alternatively, visit their company websites and check out their full lists. Let’s support them in continuing to make the best inclusive kids’ books possible.
Huge thanks to all the publishers for providing quotes and imagery for this blog post.
Hero image from left to right: 1. Fay Erek (Alanna Max), 2. Nancy Treversy (Barefoot), 3. Sonya McGilchrist (Dinosaur), 4. Ryan Johnston (Faerie Press), 5. Aimée Felone, (Knights Of), 6. Christofere Fila (Lantana), 7. Jeanetta Otter-Barry (Otter-Barry), 8. Sam Langley-Swain (Owlet Press), 9. Abdul Kadir Thadha (Sweet Cherry) and 10. Delaram Ghanimifard (Tiny Owl)