A division of the American Library Association has voted to remove the name of the Little House on the Prairie’s author from an award because of the way she referred to Native Americans and black people.

Laura Ingalls Wilder, who lived from 1867 to 1957, was the first recipient of the award which bore her name, in 1954.

The award was designed by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) to celebrate books in the US which have had a significant impact on childrens’ literature.

But on Saturday the ALSC voted unanimously at their gathering in New Orleans to rename the prize. It will now be known as the Children’s Literature Legacy Award.

The ALSC had been considering whether it should strip Wilder's name from the award since February and announced at the time that the author's legacy "may no longer be consistent with the intention of the award named for her."

"The decision was made in consideration of the fact that Wilder's legacy, as represented by her body of work, includes expressions of stereotypical attitudes inconsistent with ALSC's core values of inclusiveness, integrity and respect, and responsiveness," the ALSC said in a brief statement following the vote.