USBBY NOMINATIONS - 2021 IBBY OUTSTANDING BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

In odd-numbered years IBBY presents its juried Selection of Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities. Each IBBY member country is invited to nominate up to 12 of its books for consideration.

The current U.S. nominating committee - Danilo Baylen, Jared Crossley, Deanna Day-Whiff, Dawn Menge, Barbara Ward, and Chair Linda Parsons - received a total of 45 books from 38 different publishers for consideration. 

Below is a slideshow of the 12 books, which the committee nominated and that will be forwarded  to the jury, headed by Leigh Turina in Toronto. Click on any image throughout the presentation for detailed bibliographic information.

The IBBY Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities list organizes the books into three categories -

• specialized formats
• universal access
• portrayals of disability

"We appreciate that so many publishers recognize and are supportive of the committee’s work," shares committee chair Linda Parsons of the 38 U.S. publishers who submitted original work.

​"It is of note, (though,) that virtually all books the committee received were in the universal access and/or portrayals of disability categories. US publishers do not seem to focus on (the specialized) formats"  that the IBBY jury receives from publishers in several other countries.

According to the IBBY OBYPD guidelines, these could include "Braille, sign language, picture communication systems, tactile, or easy-to-read books, which are specifically written for young people with developmental, cognitive or learning disabilities”.

"It is my hope," says Parsons, "that publishers will address the dearth of books in this category and that this committee will be able to include this category of books in the future."