Originally published in Write 4 Children Vol IV issue II 81-8, no longer available online.

University of East London is based in London Borough of Newham, one of the most diverse boroughs in Britain, with one of the highest levels of child poverty (ONS 2012, Campaign to End Child Poverty 2012). Trainee teachers on the Primary with English route investigated picture books to create a London Picture Books collection, inspired by a presentation by Dr Nicola Daly of University of Waikato. In semi structured interviews, six trainees explained why they had chosen particular books and how their thinking about representation in picture books had changed through carrying out the activity.