Characters With Exceptionalities Portrayed in Contemporary Canadian Children’s Books

Résumé

This article examines the ways in which exceptionality is addressed in Canadian children’s literature, offering critical literacy as an avenue toward social justice. A content analysis (Berg, 2009) of 134 Canadian children’s books offers a wide scope of contemporary titles to include in classrooms. We developed conceptual categories to explore patterns and trends through a qualitative interpretive stance (Seidman, 2006). Our findings include the following results:
• ethnically diverse characters with exceptionalities,
• authentic characters with real-world challenges,
• fantasy blended with other genres.
As narratives that include exceptionalities become more authentic and abundant, we can become more appreciative of diversity, further affecting inclusive schools and communities.