Rachael Burnett is a children's bookseller at Borders and an illustration student at Cambridge. Her entire life is steeped in children's books. She approached us at In The Picture about the need for disabled children to be included in picture books ..

1. As a children's bookseller you are in a prime position to pick up on emerging markets - what has made you think there is a market for books that include disabled children?

I’ve been working as a children’s bookseller for five years in total and within that time I have certainly been asked more and more often for books that include images of disability. The majority of the requests come from librarians and educators. I am often asked where the “disability section” is and I always feel slightly ashamed to have to point out that far from being a section there are only three or four titles in stock altogether. This invariably meets with disbelief and disappointment on the side of the customer. Of course I’m then asked what’s available that can be ordered in and my response is “not very much!”
Parents also ask for books that include images of disability but they don’t usually want something that explains what disability is. They want disabled characters in the background (or in the foreground with stories that don’t focus on the disability). They are not looking for educational books but stories that their children can relate too. These are even more few and far between.
It would appear that there are two separate markets. The teachers and librarians who request books that focus on disability to educate and raise awareness. And the general public (especially parents and relatives of disabled children) who want stories that naturally include disabled characters and imagery. At the moment neither market is being catered for.

2. What do you think it is about picture books in particular that make them so powerful an influence on children?

Children are surrounded by images all the time, especially now in an age of multimedia. They are extremely proficient at reading images from an early age and it has been proved that they often see more in them than adults do.
The picture book isn’t like a cartoon, which they see once then forget. It is read again and again and again. The images are looked at and scrutinised by the child to such an extent that they can probably recall the tiniest details about them months (sometimes years) afterwards. Everyone seems to be able to recall their favourite childhood picture books (usually with real affection) and often describe images in them with perfect clarity. This makes picture books a very important tool for making children aware of the world around them. At this age (approximately 2-6 years) they are looking for ways to understand their world and rely on books as well as teachers and parents, to help them. Illustrators do children a tremendous disservice by illustrating books in a closed off, insular way. Though maybe not quite so relevant in a book about aliens or monsters, any book that includes children should always accommodate every child. Though the industry is really starting to make headway with including children from a variety of cultures, it is still lagging behind with including images of disability. Every child should be able to read a picture book and see things that are relevant and personal to them.

3. What would you tell other children's booksellers to do to ensure they are meeting demand?

The bookselling industry has changed in recent years and not really for the better. Books can no longer be ordered from store to store and there is little autonomy in what can be displayed etc. Titles are nearly always ordered centrally, displays and themes decided upon by a head office team. Booksellers have to prove there will be strong sales before being allowed to order in their own choice of books. This makes pushing books that include disability a real uphill struggle. In my own department at the moment I am using all the books available to me (‘Seal Surfer’, ‘Dan and Diesel’ and ‘Susan Laughs’ are stocked due to good sales) to create a display focussing on In the Picture’s campaign. There should always be areas on the shop floor that can accommodate a (non head office) display (even if it’s not an entire wall it will still be noticed). Most children’s booksellers are not offered any formal training (although Borders bookstores have recently introduced children’s specialists in their shops and have begun training sessions at publishers). This means that all the passion, enthusiasm and knowledge has to come from the individual. I think for things to really improve bookstores have to see the children’s department as not only a sales opportunity but as a way of building community and becoming part of the educational circle around children. We are creating the readers of the future and, with the closure of many local libraries, bookstores are becoming the only place for children and parents to find the books they need. It would be nice to feel that we could offer a service that goes beyond just supplying the best selling books of the day! We should be able to use our knowledge and passion to provide a good resource for parents and educators.
Of course if In The Picture can achieve its aim of getting images of disability in most picture books, booksellers won't need to single out special books anymore. We could sell, content in the knowledge that the books we are promoting are fair and inclusive. Hopefully one day!

4. And what will your experiences of selling to children bring to your future career as an illustrator?

Working as a bookseller has given me an incredible insight into the type of books that children want and what is lacking at the moment. I have no doubt I can use this knowledge to help me in my future career as an illustrator. Leading a storytime once a week and hearing the responses of the children to various images has made me realise how much they notice and how sensitive you have to be when creating images for them. Illustrating for children is not (or shouldn’t be) a self indulgent art. You have a responsibility to your readers. My focus on becoming an illustrator/author is to tell stories to children and assist them in understanding their world. If you manage to produce a good picture book it’s entirely possible that your story will be read over and over again and the images memorised. That is why In The Picture’s campaign is so vastly important and why I, as a future illustrator, will always consider the content of my images very carefully.

Back to Top