Within the UK there is a growing demand for critical exploration of whether, and how, all children’s lives are reflected in the books they read. Bishop’s (2003) metaphor of literature acting as mirrors and windows forms the premise of this research. She argued that all children should be able to see themselves and others reflected, and valued, in the books that they read. In England, 15.5% of all school-age pupils are registered as having Special Educational Needs and/or a Disability (SEND). The aim of this paper was to investigate prevalence and portrayals of characters with SEND in recently-published picturebooks with a specified sample of the nominated titles for the Kate Greenaway 2021 medal. Ten picturebooks containing humans were found to have portrayals of at least one character with SEND. When comparing the findings of this study to previous research in the field, it can be argued that prevalence of characters with SEND has improved. 22.7% of books in the sample were found to include a character with SEND, and half of these were in protagonist roles. However, findings suggested that some contemporary picturebooks which feature characters with SEND often maintain either tokenistic inclusions or problematic themes, with particular reference to the resolutions of the plot lines. Despite this, exemplary picturebooks which feature characters with SEND in both accurate and authentic ways from both within, and outside of, the sample are highlighted and recommended. The study concludes that there is an urgent and important need for the critical examination of the portrayals of characters with SEND in children’s literature so that books can act as clear mirrors and windows.
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Maund, Imogen
Rights Holders: Maund, Imogen Supervisors: Percival, James
School of Education
MA Education
2021
© Maund, Imogen Published by Oxford Brookes UniversityAll rights reserved