Racial diversity in children's books

I came across the topic of racial diversity in children's books listening to this recent radio podcast (the topic starts about 11 mins into the podcast). The podcast follows on from an article published discussing this issue and which in turn prompted me to read an article for the New York Times. The New York Times article in particular has made me think more about the books I read as I child (or didn't read as the case may be) and why. I think relating to the identity of a character and recognition of yourself in their voice or their experiences can make all the difference to an adult reader, but for a child it could be the catalyst for a lifetime enjoyment of reading which is priceless.