Can Children of Different Races 'See' Themselves in Audiobooks Data

Culturally responsive teachers and librarians must guide students toward high-quality children’s literature featuring characters of color via multiple formats, including audiobooks. This study examined the accessibility of audio versions of award-winning children’s novels in public libraries across the United States. Chi-Square analyses were used to determine whether offerings in each of six U.S. locales were distributed proportionally using a significance level of p < .05. Findings revealed a deficit in audio versions of novels primarily featuring characters of color in both production and library availability. As audiobooks represent an important point of access to children’s literature, book publishers and librarians must strengthen efforts to provide audio versions of high-quality novels written for youth audiences. Particularly needed are books reflecting Latino/a, Asian/Pacific, and American Indian populations.