See Myself in Books festival is back! 

The See Myself in Books Festival returns to Manchester from 9 to 20 March, featuring 13 diverse authors and illustrators. Designed to promote inclusivity in children's literature, the festival allows children to engage with relatable characters and cultural stories, enhancing their reading experience. A special event will be hosted on 12 March.

Yes, it’s back! For the second year running, Manchester Libraries and Read Manchester are bringing the See Myself in Books Festival to the city. 

We’ve got a fantastic line-up of 13 authors and illustrators from a diversity of backgrounds representing the very best in children’s writing.  The festival complements our neurodiverse and ethnically diverse book collections and allows children to meet these inspiring authors in real life. 

From 9 – 20 March the Festival runs in schools and libraries, with a special celebration event at The Stoller Hall on Thursday 12 March, with author Humza Arshad as our compere.  We know that children really value seeing a diverse range of books with characters they can relate to, and that they also benefit from gaining an insight into other people’s communities and heritage too.  Representation in children’s books matters and leads children to engage more deeply with reading. 

See Myself in Books Festival author, Tola Okogwu says: ‘My hope is to create ‘mirrors and windows’ through my writing, allowing children the opportunity to read books that are reflective of their own experiences as well as other cultures’. 

We had lots of great feedback from last year’s festival: 

‘The authors were very inspiring because they made me want to be myself and stand up for myself’ (child) 

‘As the majority of our children come from BAME backgrounds it was great for them to ‘see themselves in books’ and the validation that they are worthy of having stories written about them’ (teacher) 

A presenter engaging with children in a library setting, discussing the importance of diverse books while a student writes on a flip chart. The background features bookshelves filled with children's literature and a promotional banner for the 'See Myself in Books' initiative.
A group of children dressed in school uniforms posing with a man holding a book, in front of a banner that reads 'See Myself in Books'.
A young woman with long hair and glasses holds a stack of books, smiling at a girl in a pink hoodie with long hair and a red ribbon. They are standing in front of a banner that reads 'See Myself in Books', promoting representation in literature.
A woman with glasses and a colourful patterned coat reads a book to a group of engaged children sitting around her, showcasing expressions of excitement and joy.
Three individuals sitting on a wooden stage, each holding children's books. The person on the left is wearing a black t-shirt and holding a book titled 'CLEAN UP!'. The middle person is wearing a brightly patterned outfit and holding a book titled 'DANNY CHUNG DOES NOT DO MATHS'. The person on the right is wearing a colourful sweater and holding a book titled 'SPEAK UP!'.

Our primary school book collections comprise 25 books portraying ethnic diversity and 25 books representing neurodiversity with accompanying teaching resources. Our Ethnic Diversity booklist and book collection is currently being revamped and updated and we will soon be offering our new collections and resources out to schools. 

Here’s the full list of brilliant authors and illustrators who will be at our Festival this year: 

Lucas Maxwell 

Ramzee 

Lisette Auton 

Nadia Shireen 

Ashley Thorpe 

Humza Arshad 

J Chambers 

Erica Gomez 

Sufiyah Ahmed 

Rashmi Sirdeshpande 

Danielle Jawando 

Maisie Chan 

Tola Okogwu 

Find out more about last year’s festival here and see the wonderful videos we created with Media Cubs. https://literacytrust.org.uk/communities/manchester/see_myself_in_books/ 

If you are a business or someone looking for a sponsorship opportunity, please do get in touch!  You can support a local school by purchasing a diverse book collection of 25 books for £200.  Please contact cheryl.pridgeon@manchester.gov.uk 

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