| In this dissertation, I explored and revealed the responses of children without disabilities to five selected storybooks inclusive of a character with a disability. Five 7year-old children participated in this study. After having read every storybook, the participants completed semi-structured individual interviews and pictorial representations of their favourite part of each of the storybooks. Also, I did a structural analysis of the storybooks. Subsequently, I consulted the Circle of Inclusion Checklist (2009) in order to evaluate each of the storybooks under study.;Keywords: disabilities, children's literature, friendships, teasing, inclusion;Findings from the structural analysis and evaluation of storybooks revealed that only one storybook met criteria: How Smudge came (Gregory, 1995). As a result of qualitative data analysis of interviews and drawings, findings provided the evidence for three themes: friendships, teasing, and inclusion. The results suggest that relationships between children with and without disabilities need to be cultivated through the use of evaluated children's literature and inclusive educational practices. |
