The campaign has the support of children's author Anne Fine

Carnegie Medal winner Anne Fine, who wrote best-selling children's book Madame Doubtfire, has hit out at gender-specific division of children's books, branding it "nonsensical."

"Good books are not pink and blue; they’re just not," she said. "It’s not popular with parents or women. It’s a serious matter because it does narrow children’s sense of what they’re allowed to do on like in a horrible, horrible way.

"It’s a serious matter, the pinkification of girls," she added.

Other commentators have pointed to the fact that some of the most popular children's books - including JK Rowling's Harry Potter series and C.S. Lewis' Narnia stories - are not marked by gender and have appealed to both boys and girls.

What do you think? Is it important to end gender bias in children's books? Or are there bigger battles to be fought? Let us know on Twitter or in the comments section below.

Words: Anna Brech, Photos: Rex Features and Let Books Be Books

Campaign to end gender bias in children's books gains pace