Happening in the Authors' Café from 1430-1600, we will have a keynote speaker and panel, which will discuss: "Changing the norms in children's books"
Since the 1960s, numerous studies have highlighted the prevalence of gender stereotypes in children’s and young adult books. More than 50 years later, early readers are still presented with a world where boys are bombarded with dinosaurs, race cars, and rockets, while girls are consigned to pink princesses, and ponies. Given the strong presence of women in young adult and children’s publishing, it's hard to fathom how this status quo has endured. While some progress has been made, we must ask ourselves what’s next.
This panel will examine the die-hard binarity of gender representation in books for young readers and explore ways women in the publishing ecosystem can help young minds exceed these limited bounds to realize their full potential. Building upon discussions from last year's Time is on Their Side panel, our speakers will take the conversation even further by considering the role of children’s and young adult literature in efforts to illuminate diversity of gender, race, class, and sexuality.
