Oxford Poetry Library and The Children’s Allotment are excited to launch a anti-racist collection of children’s books 

The Many Voices Collection is a collection featuring Black characters, written by Black writers, or which centre an anti-racist message. These books form part of the Oxford Poetry Library’s lending collection, free to be borrowed and enjoyed for free by kids and adults alike.

People can borrow the books from Oxford Poetry Library’s online catalogue or can browse the collection at a pop-up stall on Saturday 12 December, 12.00 – 15.00 at Flo’s – The Place in The Park. 

Following the racist incidents of 2020 such as the murder of George Floyd and the global Black Lives Matter movement, a group of parents and educators connected to and Oxford Poetry Library and The Children’s Allotment came together to question the racism implicit in the education system and the kinds of books and learning materials our children has access to. 

The Many Voices Collection seeks to address the gap in representation and build a diverse, colourful, and engaging collection of books for any family. The 48 books in the Many Voices collection include not only anti-racist books about understanding and challenging injustice, but also stories written by Black authors featuring Black characters: stories in which children could find diverse representations of themselves and their families, as well as those that are different.

Read more about the collection here or see our FAQ for more information about how we put the collection together.

How to borrow from the Many Voices Collection

The collection is hosted by the Oxford Poetry Library and can be viewed in full in their catalogue here. If you would like to request or reserve a particular book, please email oxfordpoetrylibrary@gmail.com.For more details about when and where the library will be popping up, see here.