Who Gets to Exist in Children’s Books?

Picture books shape how children see the world. But when autistic kids are nearly invisible in them, the message is louder than we realize.

Walk into any bookstore.

You will find thousands of picture books about dragons, princesses, trucks, monsters, friendship, bedtime routines, and magical forests. Picture books are one of the most dominant forms of children’s media.

According to publishing industry estimates, more than 30,000 new children’s books are published every year, and picture books make up a huge portion of that market. Over the past several decades, experts estimate there are well over 100,000 picture books currently in circulation globally.

Now here is the uncomfortable statistic.

When researchers, librarians, and advocacy organizations catalog picture books featuring autistic characters, the lists rarely exceed 50–100 titles worldwide.

Let that sink in.

Out of hundreds of thousands of picture books, only a tiny fraction represent autistic children.

And even within that already small group, many of the books are not written for autistic children. They are written about autism to explain it to neurotypical readers.

Th…