Representation Matters: Board Books with Children with Disabilities

Authors

  • Allison G. Kaplan
  • Caitlin Tobin
  • Tina Dolcetti
  • Jennifer McGowan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5860/cal.20.3.15

Abstract

Diversity is an important part of children’s literature as demonstrated in numerous articles beginning with Nancy Larrick in 1965 and most recently codified in the We Need Diverse Books movement. However, while diversity has the aim of inclusion, disability representation has not always been part of the equation.

The goal of this study is to explore the evidence of disability representation in children’s literature with a focus on board books through the examination of one library collection. Our team selected board books because we had access to a finite collection we could explore in its totality, and we expected that, due to the nature of board books being explicit in representation, we would be able to easily identify disability representation.

Author Biographies

Allison G. Kaplan

Allison G. Kaplan holds an MLIS degree from the Department of Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles and a doctorate degree from the School of Education, University of Delaware. She has been a librarian and library educator for over thirty years, most recently at the Information School, University of Wisconsin-Madison, retiring from there in 2021.

Caitlin Tobin

Caitlin Tobin is a Master’s student in the Information School at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Caitlin, who has a physical disability, has several articles under review.

Tina Dolcetti

Tina Dolcetti, who has autism, has a graduate degree in library sciences and is currently a children’s librarian at the Moose Jaw (Saskatchewan) Public Library, where she specializes in services for diverse populations including children with disabilities.

Jennifer McGowan

Jennifer McGowan, who has bilateral hearing loss, is a Master’s student in the Information School at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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Published

2022-10-10

Issue

Vol. 20 No. 3 (2022): Fall

Section

Features

License

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