Children For Change

Help us change the future through Children For Change, an anthology featuring 50+ children’s writers and illustrators, packed with stories and pictures inspiring children and young people to take actions in the climate emergency. Make a pledge, receive a reward, and you'll be gifting this FREE book to primary schools and children's homes across the UK!

Many children and young people are anxious about the future of our world. Evidence of the climate emergency is everywhere. With politicians and big business failing to rise to the challenge across the globe, how can children and young people make a difference? 

Children For Change turns the tables, by inspiring children and young people to do what they can to make an impact – small or large, locally or globally.  This groundbreaking anthology, featuring contributions by some of the most exciting children’s authors in the UK, will offer a ‘positive manifesto’ for the future of our planet. Looking beyond climatic events and veering away from apocalyptic dystopias, it takes a motivational approach: we want the readers of Children For Change to take action, wherever and however they can. To be activists, within their own sphere of influence. 

Children For Change’s editor, the broadcaster and passionate environmentalist, Konnie Huq says "I truly believe that children are the key to changing the future. The values, mindsets, and goals that inspire and excite them during their formative years shape the adults they become - adults that can change the future of the climate emergency. This is the key to the importance of this book, so please support this excellent initiative!"

WE NEED YOUR HELP! 

To make this daring, forward-thinking anthology - and ensure it reaches every primary school in the UK. As a free digital book, with permission for schools to distribute via parents into children's homes, it has the potential to engage MILLIONS of children, young people and families. 

With your support, we will also publish a physical, limited gift edition of this star-studded anthology. The print version will not be available in shops or for sale online – but as a pledger, you can get your own copy and donate multiple copies to children, families or schools, in time for Earth Day, 22 April 2024.

WHAT'S INSIDE?

Over 50 children’s writers and illustrators are creating stories and illustrations for Children For Change right now. Their contributions, for 8 to 12 year-olds, will tackle a huge range of themes and issues, from fossil fuels and renewables to ecosystems and habitats, inspiring children to influence and make change happen in their families and communities, cultures and countries. 

Some of the amazing names include: former Children’s Laureate and author of Noughts and Crosses, Malorie Blackman; the current Children's Laureate, Joseph Coelho; creator of Tom Gates, Liz Pichon; The Gruffalo illustrator, Axel Scheffler; Draw with Rob creator, Rob Biddulph;  author/illustrator of Barbara Throws a Wobbler, Nadia Shireen; Young Bond author Charlie Higson; and broadcaster, Konnie Huq, author of the Cookie series.

The full list of contributors includes: Laura Ellen Anderson, Philip Ardagh, David Baddiel, Peter Bently, Rob Biddulph, Malorie Blackman, Sita Brahmahchari, Martin Brown, Ruthine Burton, Sharon King Chai, Tracey Corderoy, A.M. Dassu, Nicola Davies, Benji Davis, Laura Dockrill, Christopher Edge, Jim Field, Jess French, Hannah Gold, Emily Gravett, AF Harrold, Sue Hendra, Sophy Henn, Charlie Higson, Konnie Huq, Sharna Jackson, Adam Kay, Steven Lenton, MG Leonard, Gill Lewis, David Litchfield, Fiona Lumbers, Rikin Parekh, Jenny Pearson, Tom Percival, Liz Pichon, Jane Ray, Chris Riddell, David Roberts, Axel Scheffler, Nadia Shireen, Francesca Simon, Rashmi Sirdeshpande, Alex T. Smith, Adam Stower, Katie & Kevin Tsang, Ed Vere, Alex Wheatle, Polly Ho Yen and Yuval Zommer.

Up to 10 contributions will also come from mentees on the Pathways Into Children’s Publishing course for diverse children’s illustrators, creating a platform to launch the careers of this year’s cohort of emerging illustrators.

WHAT DOES YOUR PLEDGE SUPPORT?

Whether your pledge is small or large, it will contribute to the editorial, design, digital publishing, launch, promotion and distribution costs of getting Children For Change into a target 25,000 primary schools throughout the UK. And beyond - into millions of homes, to inspire children and families to make a difference! 

It will also fund publication of a beautifully finished, large format, limited physical edition – which we will gift to every pledge from £30 up. 

But there’s more! The remaining proceeds from this campaign will also support Pathways Into Children’s Publishing. Pathways is a pioneering, non-profit alternative to an academic route into the children’s publishing profession for super-talented artists from under-represented backgrounds. Throughout 2024, 40 Pathways mentees will be illustrating five exclusive new stories exploring climate themes for all ages, by authors Smriti Halls, Nicola Davies, Polly Ho Yen, Viola Wang and Alexis Deacon. With the support of this crowdfunding campaign, Pathways will produce a touring exhibition of mentees’ illustration in early 2025, engaging more audiences with the climate emergency through children’s illustration.

Average 65% of every pledge from £30 up funds Children For Change, with 35% supporting Pop Up's Pathways Into Children’s Publishing programmes.

The Children For Change project has been conceived and developed by Pop Up Projects CIC, a non-profit social enterprise devoted to making – and empowering people to make – books that better reflect the many worlds that children live in. Pop Up’s vision is of a wide world of children’s books where everyone feels included. Big issues like the climate emergency affects all of us – which is why all children need to see that they can make valuable contributions to the challenges before us, whoever and wherever they are.