Event F49
Inclusive Books for Children Award Winners Chanté Timothy, Greg Stobbs and Sophia Payne.
Inclusive Storytelling
– Spring Stage
In this entertaining event for absolutely everyone, we’re celebrating inclusivity in reading in an interactive storytelling session for all the family.
We are delighted to welcome some of the winners of the 2026 IBC Awards winners: The Beautiful Layers of Me by Sophia Payne and Ruchi Mhasane; Supa Nova by Chanté Timothy; and Cloud Boy by Greg Stobbs.
Inclusive Books for Children (IBC) is a charity with a free website for families, schools and libraries to help easily choose books for a more inclusive bookshelf. IBC showcases stories that represent all types of family, featuring books with a variety of ethnicities, positive images of disabilities and different identities.
The IBC Awards celebrate the talent behind the best new inclusive children’s books published in the UK across three categories: baby and toddler books (1–3 years), picture books (3–7 years) and highly illustrated children’s fiction (5–9 years). This year IBC celebrated the inaugural IBC Children's Choice Awards, with winners chosen by children across the country.
The Hay Festival bookshop features a dedicated Inclusive Books for Children section showcasing IBC’s top-reviewed books of the year. Come along and get your books signed after the event.
