Why are so many characters in kids books white and middle-class?
When Australian-Lebanese author Huda Hayek was growing up in Perth, no childrens stories reflected her reality. The second youngest of seven children, her name was different to everyone around her, as was her religion and her food. There was nothing that represented us, she says. Author Huda Hayek says we need more diverse characters in childrens literature. Credit:Justin McManus  Hayek wrote Huda and Me for all Australian kids but particularly for those like her: who eat falafels for lunch, whose parents have Middle Eastern accents. Published in March, its a rollicking adventure story about two siblings who steal a credit card and head to Beirut to track down their parents. When she submitted the manuscript she half expected to be asked to cut some of that Muslim stuff and lose the Arabic words, she says.