Abstract
Twenty-two children’s picture books published from 2013-2023 that included at least one character with a disability were analyzed to gain a deeper understanding of how characters with disabilities, particularly those who are also of color, are portrayed. The results indicate a rise of positive portrayal in recent literature, most characters with a disability who are also of color have a physical disability, and more than half the characters analyzed were main characters. The current researcher also wanted to gain a perspective on how children with learning disabilities in second to third grade respond to this literature. The researcher recorded and transcribed the three student’s responses to several read aloud questions about one book, Brilliant Bea by Shaina Rudolph and Mary Vukadinovich, and the following themes arose: (a) character strengths, (b) perception of the main character as different, (c) positive portrayal of main character, (d) Bea’s storytelling and tape recorder, and (e) lack of portrayal of dyslexia in children’s literature. Results also indicate that students enjoyed the book and made clear connections between themselves and the main character with a disability (e.g. having difficulty with reading and writing). The current researcher recommends to parents and educators that they thoroughly review their libraries to ensure every child and student is represented in the literature available.