Sickness and Disability in Children's Literature: Using Picture Books as a Path to Understanding and Empathy (thesis)

Abstract

In this paper, I investigate three niches within this category of children's books on sickness and disability: books on common illnesses, books on disabilities, and books on serious or chronic illnesses. Each chapter is devoted to one category; the progression of increasing severity in the chapters allows for a culmination of ideas, where entertainment, education, and inspiration are interwoven goals in many of the books presented within the various niches. [From the Introduction]