Welcome to Picture Books for All

Children of all abilities should see themselves in the books they read. That's what makes reading fun. There are many picture books that include characters with disabilities; some are excellent in terms of their portrayal of these characters, some are pretty good, and some miss the mark. This blog features these picture books and evaluates them based on standards for quality in children's books that portray characters with disabilities. For more information, see the first post entitled "Welcome to Picture Books for All." (Click here) Welcome to Picture Books For All

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Welcome to Picture Books For All

Children of all abilities should see themselves in the books they read. That's what makes reading fun. Did you know that there are many excellent picture books that include characters with disabilities? This new blog is going to feature those picture books, one by one, going back to 2000 and then to the 1990s. I am not going to review them; rather, I am going to attempt to evaluate them based on standards for quality in children's books that portray characters with disabilities. These standards have been developed by the Anti-Defamation League and leading researchers in the field of educating children about disabilities through literature (Blaska, J.K., 2003; Prater, M.A. & Dyches, T.T., 2008). Some examples are the use of people-first language, the portrayal of characters with disabilities as positive and as "one of us" rather than "one of them," and the portrayal of characters with disabilities in integrated settings and reciprocal relationships. 


My plan is to give a short annotation of the book and then to provide a chart with the standards listed in the left column. I will insert a "yes" if I believe the standard has been upheld in the book and a "no" if I believe it hasn't. If it is not entirely clear or the standard is upheld only part of the time, I will indicate that as well. There will be room for your comments of course. And there will be links to professional reviews of the books, to publishers, to other picture book blogs, and to sites relevant to children with disabilities.


This blog is intended for parents, teachers, librarians, writers, publishers, researchers, advocates for people with disabilities, siblings, and others who are interested in quality picture books that include characters with disabilities. In addition to featuring books, I plan to post articles on topics related to inclusiveness, differences in abilities, cultural diversity, children's literature, and new interesting research in related areas. I would love to interview authors and illustrators , especially when their books are featured on the blog. 


I welcome your comments and ideas. Feel free to send me the titles of picture books you come across if you believe they should be featured on this blog. Can't wait to get going! Everybody's included in Picture Books For All!

3 comments:

  1. Sandra Boynton's "Blue Hat, Green Hat" (I think that's the title) is a perfect book about learning disabilities. The turkey tries to follow everyone else's rules about clothing, getting it a little wrong each time he tries. Finally he gets it all right and finds they've changed the rules because they're at the swimming pool. The book is readily available in board book form.

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  2. Thank you Leesy! The book by Sandra Boynton is very familiar, and I will put it on my list of books to feature here.

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  3. Hello Holly,

    Have you read Nathan Blows Out the Hanukkah Candles? It is a book about the relationship between an autistic boy and his younger brothers. Also, Kar-Ben is releasing a new version of Jeremy's Dreidel, a story about a boy who make a Braille dreidel for his father, for Fall 2012. If you would like me to send these for your review, please contact me at jbloomfield@karben.com. Thank you!

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