The Children’s Black Book Directory UK

Young LIT Stars is building the UK’s first national directory of Black children’s books — a searchable, regularly updated resource for parents, educators, librarians and booksellers. Our goal is to make it easier than ever to discover and celebrate stories that centre Black children, their lives, their cultures and their imaginations.

SUBMISSIONS GUIDE

This living directory will bring together every children’s book published in the UK that:

• Is written and/or illustrated by a Black creator, and/or

• Centres Black characters, children, families, cultures or histories.

The directory is supported by authors, publishing professionals and community partners.

FAQs

Who can submit a book? If you’re an author, illustrator, publisher, educator or bookseller, you can use the form below to submit titles for consideration. We’ll review each submission and, if eligible, add it to our master directory.

Do you accept self-published books? Absolutely, yes.

What counts as a Black children’s book? If it’s written and/or illustrated by a Black writer/artist, and/or centres Black characters, cultures or histories, it counts!

How will the directory be used? It will be used by parents, schools, libraries, booksellers and festivals to discover, stock and celebrate Black children’s literature. Plus we can gather real-time data on reading and publishing trends specifically for Black stories, a vital first step in improving representation across these areas.

Will I be told if my book is accepted? Yes, once your submission has been reviewed and added to the directory, you’ll receive a confirmation email from our team.

When will the directory be available? We are currently collecting submissions and expect to have the first edition available to the public by March 2026.

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