Books That Portray Characters with Disabilities: A Top 25 List for Children and Young Adults

The authors of this article have collectively read and researched the portrayal of disabilities in juvenile literature for nearly 25 years. The authors have therefore generated their list of the top 25 children's and young adults' books that portray characters with disabilities. This article briefly describes each of the books on the top 25 list to help readers make informed decisions when selecting books that depict characters with disabilities. This list includes 14 chapter books and 11 picture books. The books span a wide range of publication dates--the oldest was first published in 1955, and the most recent appeared in 2006. They depict most of the 13 disabilities recognized by the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA, 2004). (Contains 2 tables and 13 resources.)