Access to award winning literature for children with disabilities

Abstract

Historically, Newbery Medal and Honor books have had high readability levels unsuitable for early elementary students and those with reading disabilities. This project calculated Newbery readability levels 2007 to the present and explored use of Caldecott Medal and Honor books from that same time period and their “picturebooks” format to determine readability levels and whether they possess qualities to facilitate foundational reading skills. The Scholastic Book Wizard was utilized to find Lexile reading levels for all books reported on the awards’ websites. Results indicated Newbery books aim at older audiences, and Caldecott books serve a larger, more representative population within the reading and age range of elementary students. Review of the literature confirmed the value of picturebooks to facilitate foundational reading skills. Based on the literature, a table of Caldecott Medal and Honor books (2007-2011) was created that cross-references the reading and interest levels with literacy skills. This table will assist parents and educators working with elementary students in choosing high quality, award-winning literature that will best meet the needs of their student(s).