To determine how mental retardation and related issues areportrayed in juvenile literature, sixty-eight children's and 'adolescent books that included characters with mental retardation were analyzed. The majority of the characters were considered supportive (n = 47, 61 %), rather than the main character of the book. In addition, most ofthe characters were static (n = 42, 54 %), meaning the character was believable, but did not change throughout the course ofthe story. Few ofthe books werewritten from the perspective ofthe character with mental retardation (n = 9, 13%). In addition to analysis of the character with mental retardation, themes relating to the relationship among characters with and without mental retardation and character changes within the individuals with mental retardation wereexamined The books were also evaluated in terms of topics in the field of mental retardation (e.g., schooling, employment, residence) included as part of the story.
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