A few years ago, I wrote an article for Tes about my struggle to find children’s books that featured people living in flats.
I accompanied this with a short reading list for different age groups. I wanted to save people the time and effort it had taken me to collate these.
I was surprised by how many people commented and contacted me afterwards. Many of them - teachers and parents - hadn’t considered this kind of representation before, while the ones that had were happy to see it being written about.
In the almost five years since that article was published, it’s been heartening to see a renewed focus on diversifying libraries and class reading corners. However, the fact that I still have people reaching out to me about my list makes me think there’s still progress to be made when it comes to representing socioeconomic and housing diversity.
Socioeconomic status may not be a protected characteristic in the UK, but it’s something that affects the lives of millions of children across the country. Almost a third of children in the UK live in . In London, over half of all homes are flats or maisonettes. While lower in other UK regions, the numbers are .
Similarly, don’t have a garden, and Black people in England are nearly four times as likely as white people to have no outdoor space.
Increasingly, we acknowledge that children should be able to recognise themselves in books, and that literature featuring main characters from a variety of ethnic backgrounds should be readily available and not viewed as “niche”.
Why shouldn’t the same apply for class and housing?
Children’s books set in flats
I hope these suggested reads, alongside the ones I shared a few years ago, provide inspiration for teachers, librarians and parents when considering a fully inclusive reading experience.
From 1962 to 2024, from the US and the UK, all of these books feature flats and portray a positive representation of housing and home. Age ranges, as always, are a very rough guide.
Age 1+
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (1962)
This celebrated classic is about a boy named Peter experiencing his first snowfall. It’s not obvious that he lives in a flat, but it doesn’t need to be. (On the very last page, Peter “called to his friend from across the hall”.)
Age 2+
Corduroy by Don Freeman (1968)
Another sixties classic, this first book in the Corduroy series is about a teddy bear who lives in a department store, until he’s brought home by a girl who lives in a flat “up four flights of stairs”.
Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems (2004)
This story about a flat-dwelling child losing her stuffed rabbit was a big hit for both my then two-year-old and five-year-old.
Oscar’s Tower of Flowers by Lauren Tobia (2022)
There are no words in this book, but the pictures tell the story of a boy visiting his grandma in her city tower block and sowing seeds together.
Age 3+
In the Darkness of the Night by Emily Rand (2021)
Told in rhyming verse, this story brings to life the sounds of nighttime in an unnamed UK city, with beautiful illustrations of all sorts of homes, including flats.
Kitsy Bitsy’s Noisy Neighbours by Polly Faber (2022)
This cheerful picture book with rhyming text is about animals living in a high-rise building.
Errol’s Garden by Gillian Hibbs (2018)
The fact that Errol’s flat doesn’t have a garden is not going to stop him gardening! This heartwarming book shows families and children in all their diversity.
Flower Block by Lanisha Butterfield (2024)
This is another book about gardening and community. Author Lanisha Butterfield grew up on a council estate and wrote this to show children in social housing that their home and surroundings can be full of magic, too.
Age 4+
Your House, My House by Marianne Dubuc (2020)
The busy illustrations in Your House, My House, which is set in a block of flats, remind me of Richard Scarry’s books.
Our Big Little Place by James A Conan (2019)
The city flat home at the centre of Our Big Little Place may be small, but it feels more than big enough for the young protagonist.
Thank you, Omu! by Oge Mora (2018)
Omu is cooking a thick red stew at home “on the very top floor” of her block of flats and the delicious smell spreads down to all her neighbours below.
Age 5+
Charlie and Lola: I Will Not Ever Never Eat A Tomato by Lauren Child (2000)
Since Charlie and Lola live in a flat and share a bedroom, you’ll find apartment-living featured in several of the Charlie and Lola books.
Weirdo by Zadie Smith and Nick Laird (2021)
This marvellous book about celebrating difference features a guinea pig named Maud who wears a judo suit and lives in a flat.
Age 6+
Our Tower by Joseph Coelho (2022)
Our Tower is inspired by former children’s laureate Joseph Coelho’s own experience of growing up in a tower block on a council estate. See also his 2017 poetry collection Overheard in a Tower Block.
Clementine by Sara Pennypacker (2006)
Clementine’s bedroom, the Black Hole, is almost a character in its own right in this book. It’s also in a flat.
Age 7+
My Mum Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson (2018)
Jacqueline Wilson’s 108th book is set in a housing association flat on a London estate. Tracy is now a single mum, and this is a feel-good story about the love between a mother and daughter.
Age 8+
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser (2017)
Book one of seven of the Vanderbeekers series is a fun adventure tale about a landlord who won’t renew the lease on the family home. It’s rare you’ll find a mention of renters or leaseholders in children’s books.
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume (1972)
This is the first in Judy Blume’s “Fudge” series, which are all set in flats.
Age 9+
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh (1964)
Another US classic, this one from 1964, tells the story of 11-year-old Harriet, an aspiring writer who lives in an apartment block.
Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead (2013)
After his family downsizes to a flat, Georges meets 12-year-old Safer and becomes his spy recruit. This mystery story is about growing up and friendship.
Becka White is a researcher on digital surveillance at Amnesty International and a writer
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