Inclusive Books for Children logo

Marcus and Sarah Satha

Founders

We founded Inclusive Books for Children in 2022, when we, book-loving parents to two, very young, mixed-heritage kids, realised how difficult it was to source books we felt comfortable reading as a family, for the lack of diverse racial representation and abundance of gender stereotyping. We’ve created the guide we wished we had then, and we hope you love it, and ultimately, that you love these fantastic books!

Marcus and Sarah

"Adventures aren’t for just one type of person"

Fabia Turner

Head of Content

Fabia Turner is Head of Content at IBC and the founder of the Jericho Prize for Children’s Writing. She is also a former primary teacher and educational book editor with a love of children’s literature. In 2018, she became a member of the Critics of Colour Collective, writing theatre reviews for their online platform. Soon after she created Candid Cocoa, a popular arts review blog now focused on recommending quality Black children’s books to teachers and parents. In 2022, she was selected as Head Judge for Changing Narratives’ book reviewing competition, an initiative for East Sussex school children run in conjunction with Brighton and Hove libraries.

"Inclusive books can open young minds and transform futures"

Fabia, a Black woman, is standing outside in front of green plants. She is wearing a yellow top.

Jake Hope

Publisher Liaison Lead

Jake Hope is a reading development and children’s book consultant with a keen interest in librarianship, visual literacy, diversity and reading for pleasure. Named as one of ten ‘top librarians of the future’ in the UK’s ‘Love Libraries’ campaign, he has been a regular reviewer and commentator on children’s books for numerous publications and websites. Jake judged the Diverse Voices Book Awards and chaired the promotion to identify ‘50 of the Best Culturally Diverse Children’s Books’. Jake wrote the School Library Association Guidelines title on diversity and representation Voice and Vision and is an adviser and writer for CILIP’s (the Library and Information Association) magazine, Pen&inc

"I’m passionate about helping to ensure books are inclusive and accessible for all"

Jake Hope, a man of mixed Asian descent is seen sitting in a school library, surrounding by a range of contemporary books for children and young people.

Sophie Hostick-Boakye

Awards and Book Box Coordinator

Sophie Hostick-Boakye manages the IBC Awards process from submissions to ceremony. She also oversees the IBC Book Box gifting scheme. She has extensive experience in community engagement and social innovation to address social inequalities, and in working with educational establishments and organisations to address issues around marginalisation and inequality. 

Sophie is an avid reader, both by herself and with her two sons, working hard to ensure they all read inclusive books while encouraging her sons to review the inclusive books they read. She has also regularly supported her sons’ school to improve their selection of books for EYFS and KS1. 

"All children deserve to see themselves reflected in stories"

Sophie, a white woman with short, brown hair, is standing in front of a large suspension bridge. She is wearing a white shirt and green trousers and has her hand in her pocket.

Kristel Buckley

Social Media Strategist

Kristel Buckley (she/her) is a freelance social media expert and editor. She has worked in publishing for five years, in children’s fiction for the past two, but has championed inclusive and diverse fiction for her entire career. She has a background in education, and knows how fiction and the power of imagination can change a child’s life. She’ll also talk your ear off about how the best stories can be found in the overlooked figures of history!

"I want every child to feel like they could be Cinderella!"

Kristel is a brown-skinned woman with curly dark hair. She is smiling with her head tilted to the left side.

Jayna Matharu

Designer and Content Creator

With a background in illustration, Jayna has worked between children’s publishing, bookselling and social media content creation for four years. She loves illustrated fiction and is passionate about championing inclusive books she would have loved as a child. You can also find her as a picture book illustrator and children’s bookseller!

"Every child deserves the magic of seeing themselves in a book!"

Jayna, a South Asian woman with dark hair, stands in front of a white fountain, wearing a white top with a black crossbody bag.

Sinéad Gosai

Publicity Director

Sinéad Gosai (she/her) is Publicity Director for IBC and a freelance publicity consultant with close to 20 years’ experience working in the media, not-for-profit and publishing industries. She has developed press strategies for international authors and bestsellers, created publicity campaigns for beloved children’s book creators, and managed busy press offices and teams across multiple organisations. She is of mixed heritage and is passionate about getting a wider range of stories told and expanding people’s reading lists.

"Inclusive stories create powerful change"

Sinéad, an olive-skinned woman, sits at a table wearing a grey wool jumper. She has dark brown mid length hair, wears glasses and has tattoos on both arms.

Moses Aziz

Researcher

Moses Aziz (she/they/he) is a 2024 Edinburgh Napier MSc Publishing graduate, who is fascinated by the role of distinct sectors across the wider book industry. Moses’s proficiency in judicious research has been honed through his time in academia along with his experience as a shadow panel judge for The Saltire Society National Book Awards 2023 and as an intern at Saqi Books (2024). Because the invitation to ‘read’ is a core message of Moses’s religion, Islam, he believes that everyone deserves access to resonating books especially in the formative years of childhood.

Moses is a brown person in their early twenties, slightly smiling under a white tiled ceiling. They are wearing a grey topi hat with red, purple, and cream patterns woven into it, under a pair of purple headphones. Their left hand rests on the left side of their headphones. Adorning their face is a pair of silver hexagonal framed glasses, golden square septum jewellery, and a red gem-drop earring on their left ear. They are wearing a purple jumper showing parts of a pink graphic, and a dark blue collar and white shirt poke out at the neckline.