Disabilities and disorders in literature for youth

The scope of this book is broad and the subject matter is important in the world in which we live. As stated in the introduction, "One in five Americans currently lives with at least one disability or disorder." This text takes on the task of selecting and describing books for children that include characters with emotional, cognitive, and physical disabilities, ranging from low-incidence disabilities such as visual impairments to high-incidence disorders such as ADHD. Hundreds of books, both fiction and nonfiction, are included in each chapter. Each entry includes the title, author, publisher, year of publication, ISBN, and grade level, as well as a short annotation. While the lists are extensive, there does not seem to be a systematic method of selection for inclusion. The publication dates are primarily in the 2000s; however some books were published in the '80s and '90s and a few were published even earlier. No attempt is made to analyze how they compare or how they deal with the disability or disorder included within. Chapters six through nine include information on other media representations of disability, including journals, magazines, internet sources, DVDs, and professional resources.—Wendy Smith-D'Arezzo, Loyola College, Baltimore, MD