A new mascot to promote reading among young children has been criticised for promoting 'trans' ideology.

Tala the alien was created as a “bright, vibrant creature” to replace Bookstart Bear, which is being withdrawn nationally.

But Hertfordshire County Council has been attacked by campaigners for introducing the creature without specifying its gender.

St Albans & Harpenden Review: A picture of Tala. Credit: HCCA picture of Tala. Credit: HCC (Image: HCC)

The outrage occurred after Maya Forstater, a prominent gender issues campaigner in St Albans, shared a tweet suggesting that Tala is a “trans bear with they/them pronouns”.

She tweeted: 'A mother with her baby daughter at Hitchin Library Rhyme time aimed at 0-5 year olds messaged me.

'Bookstart Bear has been retired and replaced with Talia, a 'trans' bear, with they/them pronouns.'

'I cannot express how upset I feel. Why do children need this?'

She later stated: “Children do not need this. This is not age appropriate or inclusive.”

Her tweets addressing her thoughts received hundreds of retweets and thousands of likes.

However despite her interpretation, the council insisted Tala is not trans, and instead said the gender-neutral “other-worldly” creature is not pushing an “ideology”.

It says the mascot was created to “inspire families with babies and young children to visit” the county’s libraries.

Ms Forstater argued: “In introducing an anthropomorphic creature ‘with they/them pronouns’ to under 5s, you are not trying to promote the idea there are people for whom the ordinary categories of male and female do not apply (who should be referred to with they/them pronouns)?”

St Albans & Harpenden Review: Watford Central LibraryWatford Central Library (Image: Watford Central Library)

Tala was created by newly graduated artists Emma Phillips and Eva Povey using funds from an Arts Council National Lottery Project grant.

The mascot will feature promote a series of ‘My Firsts’ books to get children to read, and in certificates handed out at Hertfordshire’s 46 libraries.

A spokesperson for the council said: “To suggest that Tala is being used to push any ideology other than a love for reading is completely misleading.

“Bookstart Bear was withdrawn by BookTrust and we created a new mascot.

“Tala is a fictional, other-worldly creature used to capture the imagination of young people.”

During the initial announcement of the mascot, Tala’s creators said: “We hope that families love Tala as much as we loved creating them!”

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