Why Representation Matters in Books

In underrepresented communities, education is key—and young, underrepresented children learn better when they see themselves in books.

Making education accessible for all children can sometimes be a challenge. Writers, editors, and publishers alike can play a big part in helping learning become easier for underrepresented children by reflecting their identities and communities in educational materials. Representation in print is a newer idea to the publishing industry, but it can have a positive impact on the children who see themselves portrayed in the material they’re learning from.

THE RESEARCH

In their article, “Personalization Effects on Child Involvement During Shared Book Reading: Do Children of Color Benefit Most?” Regula Neuenschwander, Patricia Brüniger, and Celeste Fellmann addressed these needs by researching how representation in books affects children’s learning. 

The study began with parents identifying their child’s skin color and indicating whether or not they felt their child was underrepresented in books. They were then able to personalize a book—choosing the name, skin color, gender, and hair color of the main character—in order to resemble their child.

Children were then placed in one of two experimental conditions. Research assistants read either the personalized or the original book to the children, then asked the children questions to determine their involvement in learning. These questions tested whether the children recognized the character as representative of themselves and whether they were more engaged with the content of the book as a result.

The researchers observed that children from underrepresented groups displayed more interactive behavior and engaged in more spontaneous speech when the characters in their book resembled them. Personalization helped all children be more involved with their learning, but “dark-skinned children benefited more from personalization in terms of their observed verbal and behavioral involvement” (Neuenschwander, Brüniger, and Fellmann 2025). 

THE IMPLICATIONS

The findings indicate that diversity and representation in writing has a beneficial educational effect for children. Neuenschwander, Brüniger, and Fellmann’s research creates an important opportunity for writers, editors, and publishers to help children become more involved in learning as we help produce books that foster inclusivity and representation.

As the researchers point out in the discussion of their study, “These findings underscore the importance of self-recognition in books, highlighting the demand for a more diverse book landscape serving an increasingly diverse society” (Neuenschwander, Brüniger, and Fellmann 2025). As writers create characters, as editors pay more attention to the diversity in books, and as publishers promote more diverse books, children can receive more opportunities to find books that they connect with, and subsequently, learn more from.

To learn more about how representation matters in children’s books, read the full article: Neuenschwander, Regula, Patricia Brüniger, and Celeste Fellmann. 2025. “Personalization Effects on Child Involvement During Shared Book Reading: Do Children of Color Benefit Most?” European Journal of Psychology of Education 40(4): 132. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-025-01026-5. 

—Kiana Locke, Editing Research

FEATURE IMAGE BY PEXELS

Find more research

Take a look at Amelia Anderson’s Editing Research article for more insights on inclusivity and diversity in editing: “Teaching Inclusivity in Editing: Time for a Change?”

Read Lenae Shelton Rubey’s Editing Research article “What Children’s Picture Books Are Teaching about the Muslim Community” to learn more about the impact of children’s books.