When you become a parent, you find that the world of children’s books is endless and overwhelming. One thing that becomes very clear when you become the parent of a child with a disability, though; there aren’t as many well-written books about disabilities as you’d like.
Why do children’s books about disabilities matter?
For parents of children with disabilities, these books help their children feel represented in media. Furthermore, they help children learn to explain their condition to others. These books can even explore unique feelings that these children experience, and can help them find connections in new ways.
For parents whose children do not have disabilities, these books still help start important conversations at home. Many children’s books about disabilities teach much more than the specifics of a condition. These books provide children with diverse characters, which helps them adapt to the diversities they see in real life. These books also often model acceptance and show children that people with disabilities are not all that different from them.
Here are 10 of the best children’s books about disabilities that I found:
Dan and Diesel by Eliza Woloson
Best For Ages: 3-5
Length: 32 Pages (Quick Read)
Focus Topic: Visual Impairments
Formats Available: Print, eBook
Available From: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play Books, AbeBooks, BetterWorld Books
Dan loves his dog, Diesel. And, man, is he a wonder dog! When Diesel’s around, Dan can do anything. What’s more, Diesel loves their boy-and-his-dog adventures.
Through a creative tale of a boy and his dog, Eliza Woloson explores life for a child with visual impairments and his seeing eye dog. In addition to this exposure to people with disabilities, Dan and Diesel helps children use illustrations to process information and detect emotions.
Woloson combines a little of this and a little of that to create a children’s masterpiece and one of the best early children’s books about disabilities out there.
My Friend Isabelle by Eliza Woloson
Best For Ages: 3-5
Length: 28 Pages (Quick Read)
Focus Topic: Down Syndrome
Formats Available: Print
Available From: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, AbeBooks, IndieBound, Woodbine House
Isabelle and Charlie are just like any other pair of friends. They both love drawing, dancing, and playing at the park. They both hate feeling pain and eating their vegetables. But, just like any other set of friends, each child is unique as well.
My Friend Isabelle explores a lovely childhood friendship between two kids who are so much alike that they barely realize their own differences. Isabelle may have Down syndrome, but that doesn’t stop her from keeping pace with Charlie or doing anything else she desires. With beautiful illustrations and a perfect message for young children, Woloson created a great novel about a common disability.
This book is great for opening the door to talk about differences and also helping children understand that different doesn’t mean difficult. It’s a perfect one to add to your bedtime lineup or a bookshelf of a kindergarten classroom.
Emmanuel’s Dream by Laurie Ann Thompson
Best For Ages: 3-6
Lexile Level: AD770L
Length: 40 Pages (Quick Read)
Focus Topic: Physical Impairment
Formats Available: Print, eBook
Available From: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Penguin Random House, Google Play Books
Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah’s story is inspiring and remarkable.
Emmanuel was born in Ghana with one deformed leg. Although people believe he won’t achieve much, his mother encourages him to reach for his dreams. He eventually became a cyclist and rode four hundred miles across Ghana in the early 2000s.
With lyrical prose and bold illustrations, this powerful story about overcoming adversity is one of the best children’s books about disability out there.
Susan Laughs by Jeanne Willis
Best For Ages: 3-6
Lexile Level: AD110L
Length: 32 Pages (Quick Read)
Focus Topic: Wheelchair Users
Formats Available: Print
Available From: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, IndieBound, Walmart
Susan laughs. She sings, rides, and swings. Just like every other child, she feels angry, sad, mad and glad. Susan is literally like every other child, except for one small thing: she uses a wheelchair.
This children’s book about disabilities follows Susan through a series of activities. Narrated in rhyming form, it covers nearly anything you’d expect a child to do. Susan is a busy girl, which makes the introduction of her wheelchair somewhat unexpected, but very much appreciated as it shows just how mobility devices should be viewed.
Willis tells this story with lots of insight (and little sentimentality), which makes it a great addition to the shelf in any home who plans to raise well-rounded children who will be well-versed in diversity.
Ian’s Walk: A Story About Autism by Laurie Lears
Best For Ages: 4-8
Lexile Level: 520
Length: 32 Pages (Quick Read)
Focus Topic: Autism Spectrum Disorder
Formats Available: Print, eBook
Available From: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Google Play Books, Scholastic
Julie can’t wait to walk to the duck pond with her older sister, but baby brother Ian wants to come, too. Julie doesn’t understand why her brother reacts so differently to the world. Through their shared experience, though, she learns to see life through her brother’s eyes and gains a new perspective.
This book offers a warm, highly valuable lesson about vantage point. Furthermore, it provides children with an initial experience to what Autism Spectrum Disorder can look like. As the prevalence of ASD increases and many schools push for peer collaboration and inclusion as much as possible, helping children understand autism from a young age can be incredibly beneficial.
Ian’s Walk can be a great way to help siblings of children on the spectrum, or even classmates, understand the unique world for autistic individuals.
Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
Best For Ages: 5-8
Lexile Level: AD650L
Length: 40 Pages (Quick Read)
Focus Topic: Dyslexia
Formats Available: Print, eBook, Audiobook
Available From: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Audible, Scholastic
Little Trisha just wants to read, but when she gazes on pages of text, the letters appear jumbled and confusing. Teachers simply didn’t understand, and classmates called her “dummy.” Finally, Trisha finds a teacher who helps her overcome her difficulties with reading: Mr. Falker.
This story not only shows the positive impact a compassionate teacher can have on a child’s life, but it also helps children see that overcoming obstacles is an attainable thing. This book is geared towards younger children, and provides both a great introduction to exploring different abilities we each possess and also a phenomenal story about perseverance in the face of difficulty.
With sweet illustrations and a wonderfully weaved story based on her own experiences, Patricia Polacco’s Thank You, Mr. Falker is a must-have for any family library.
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Best For Ages: 8-12
Lexile Level: 790L
Length: 320 Pages (Chapter Book)
Focus Topic: Treacher Collins Syndrome
Formats Available: Print, eBook, Audiobook
Available From: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Audible, Scholastic
Born with a condition that augments his face, 5th grader August Pullman just wants to be treated as an ordinary kid. Unfortunately, his new classmates at Beecher Prep just can’t get past his “extraordinary” face.
Wonder uses unique perspectives of individual characters to paint an overarching novel of acceptance and compassion. In a world filled with bullying and pushes to “fit in,” this story teaches our children that sometimes it’s best to embrace the fact that you were born to stand out. Every reader will learn what courage and friendship really are, and hopefully a bit about kindness, too.
Perfectly created for the age most impacted by bodily changes and the beginnings of bullying, this novel is a great way to discuss reality with your child and help them cope with peers.
El Deafo by Cece Bell
Best For Ages: 8-12
Lexile Level: GN420L
Length: 248 (Graphic Novel)
Focus Topic: Hearing Impairment
Formats Available: Print, eBook
Available From: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, AbeBooks, Google Play Books, Scholastic
Cece’s Phonic Ear helps her hear what’s going on at school… but also isolates her from her classmates. However, Cece chooses to harness the power of her Phonic Ear, become the heroic “El Deafo,” and search for the friend she’s always wanted.
This hilarious, yet poignant graphic novel explores the everyday struggles of children who require various devices to “be like everyone else.” Whether or not the reader requires hearing aids or not, everyone can relate to the feelings of having something that makes you “stand out.” We all wish our uniquenesses could be our own super powers, and kids everywhere love novels that explore real-life situations with humor and a bit of over-the-top fiction built in.
Great for kids who struggle with larger chapter books or any kid looking to feel less alone, El Deafo has any tween’s name written all over it!
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
Best For Ages: 12+
Lexile Level: 600L
Length: 288 Pages (Chapter Book)
Focus Topic: Autism Spectrum Disorder
Formats Available: Print, eBook, Audiobook
Available From: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play Books, Audible, Scholastic
Natalie’s father takes a job as an electrician at Alcatraz prison, meaning the family must locate to the island. Natalie, a young girl with autism spectrum disorder, hates that her parents force this move to a place with the worst criminals alive.
Gennifer Choldenko created a wonderful historical fiction novel for young adults that will hook them from the beginning. Though it touches on so many topics, the fact that one of the main characters, Natalie, has autism makes it that much better for teenagers to sink into and learn.
This book is not only great for a family read, but also the perfect novel for a school book study.
Blindsided by Priscilla Cummings
Best For Ages: 12+
Lexile Level: 710L
Length: 256 Pages (Chapter Book)
Focus Topic: Visual Impairment
Formats Available: Print, eBook
Available From: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Penguin Random House, Google Play Books, Scholastic
Natalie O’Reilly’s teenage world turns upside down when she starts losing her sight. She prays for a miracle while she starts learning Braille and how to use a cane. Can Natalie’s fate be changed, or will she simply need to embrace the deal she’s been handed?
It’s not everyday that a young adult novel covers real-life situations, especially in as great of detail as Priscilla Cummings does with this book. While fictional tales of magic are fun, sometimes it’s also important that our teenage children gain exposure to the cruel realities of life and learn how people cope with tragic events or disabilities. That’s exactly what you get with Blindsided.
Inspiring for all ages but geared towards an early teen, Blindsided is a great addition to a middle school library or home filled with book-loving young adults.
What do you think of our list?
What book(s) are you most excited to add to your child’s library? Which children’s book about disability do you feel we left off this list? Great resources exist if you just know where to find them, and we hope that this list provides a start for you. Whether you are raising a child with a disability or just looking for ways to diversify your readings to your able-bodied child, this list contains great resources that span the ages.
Feature Image by Alireza Attari on Unsplash