Add this to your “must read” pile: Disability in Kidlit. I should have blogged about this sooner, but I was preparing for ALA and time got away from me. (Note: that will be my excuse for the next few months, OK?)

From the Disability in Kidlit website: “Throughout July 2013, this blog will feature posts by readers, writers, bloggers, and other peeps from the YA and MG communities discussing disability and kidlit. There will be posts about people’s experiences, reviews of YA/MG books featuring disabled characters, discussions of tropes and stereotypes, and more!

“Our goal is for this month-long series to serve as a resource for readers and writers hoping to learn more about the realities of disability, which are often quite different from what you read in books or see on TV. All our contributors identify as disabled themselves, and we hope to present a wide range of perspectives and experiences.”

I am super excited about this blog.

I find the question of disability in children’s literature comes up again and again, but often people don’t really know what the question actually is let alone the answer. For example, well meaning folks sometimes look for books to “explain” something — in other words, the adult wants a book to “explain” the disability to either the child or the child’s classmates. Or they want a book to “help” the child. Or they know one child who is “x” and any book that shows a different experience with “x” is inaccurate or wrong, based solely on “because I know someone with x”.

Anyway, I’m particularly excited about the wide range of posters they have. I’m looking forward to catching up on the older posts and seeing what the rest of the month brings!