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The best new inclusive children’s books: May 2026

Welcome back to our IBC monthly round-up of the latest and greatest diverse children’s books published this month!

The month of May brings us so many wonderful new books. The youngest readers can giggle, count and look at some tasty foods with Daddy Is Cleaning, How Many Babies? and Always Pasta. Picture book readers also have a selection of beautifully illustrated, charming new stories, such as Princess Pete, a heartfelt and empowering portrayal of non-binary experiences in childhood, and Korobá: The Case of the Missing Kolo, set in the Nigerian fishing village of Makoko. For chapter book readers, scientist Izzy returns in Izzy the Inventor and the Princess Plot, where she skillfully solves another mystery in Fairytale Land!

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How are books selected for this booklist of the latest releases in inclusive children’s books?

You are browsing the Inclusive Books for Children round-up of the very best diverse children’s books published each month in the UK. We run this feature every month to help parents, librarians, teachers and anyone else choosing a book for a child to make great, up-to-date choices.

Working with every traditional publisher in the UK, we obtain all eligible inclusive children’s books, usually fiction for ages 1 to 9, to assess their suitability for our round-up. The books feature main characters who are neurodivergent or disabled or from diverse ethnic backgrounds or family structures.

Each book is reviewed and rated by two members of our diverse panel of experts in children’s literature. At least one reviewer will have lived experience of the marginalised identity represented in each book.

Only the highest-rated books are published on our website and then served up to you in our monthly round-up!