Kids’ Books About Disability
So many people have a physical difference or a disability, or love someone who does. Despite this, it might feel like you don’t see enough representation in the media. Hopefully, this list of books will make people feel seen and represented, as well as introduce kids and adults alike to discussions about disability.
Get ready for a whirlwind of laughter, acceptance, understanding, and growth. These books show a variety of disabilities and approaches to life! Together, we can learn how to advocate for ourselves and each other, build a better community for the future, and have fun and joy along the way! These are must-reads for all, and we are only getting started!
This amazing book tells 26 true stories of 26 different children! It’s accepting, colorful, and makes everyone feel seen and loved— a safe space to learn the ABCs and learn about differences! With wonderful backmatter included!
This newly-illustrated edition of a bestseller provides the perfect learning opportunity to introduce the concept of disabilities and other differences to kids—from the beloved family behind Beth & Coop.
In a relatable, positive, and compassionate voice, disability advocate and social media content creator Beth Leipholtz introduces twenty-six real kids with autism, hearing differences, epilepsy, Down syndrome, and more than a dozen other diagnoses. Their stories remind us that people with disabilities are all around us, and all children deserve to be seen, heard, valued, understood, and loved.
Beth Leipholtz is the hearing mother of a deaf child, raising her son, Cooper, bilingually in both hearing and Deaf cultures. On Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, she has built an online community of more than 1 million people to uplift parents on similar journeys and advocate for inclusion and accessibility. Her desire to spread the message of inclusion and connection led to creating a brand-new edition of The ABCs of Inclusion, with all-new artwork and backmatter from a disability advocacy organization.
In this fresh, funny, and fast-paced story, chaos ensues when a down-on-its-luck middle school comes to believe that fake magic is the real deal!
Magic loving, wheelchair user Lil Evers wishes she could start sixth grade at a real wizarding school, instead of the worst junior high in her district. But when she leads her friends in roleplaying their own magic school in the Exceptional Children’s (EC) class for special education, it helps the school days feel more bearable.
When their magic wands end up scaring some bullies away in a chance encounter, the EC students’ standing at school does a total 180. Students think their magic is actually real—and that Lil and her friends can grant their wishes with good luck charms! Strangest of all, the charms seem to be working…
But it becomes clear that there’s someone lurking who doesn’t want the good luck to spread. Can Lil let go of her fantasy world to find her voice—and embrace her real school—before Willow Street Middle falls victim to an evil plan?
From the co-authors of the critically acclaimed memoir The Year of the Buttered Cat comes an imaginative novel that shines a spotlight on the way the school system often fails students with disabilities—while showcasing the power of those very students to make positive change.
From author and disabled parent Lucy Catchpole, this gentle and accessible picture book celebrates a wonderful part of one child’s life: her mother’s wheelchair.
I have a tricycle. Daddy has a big car. And Mama has a Mama Car.
Mama’s wheelchair can take you on adventures, big and small. Even going to the kitchen for breakfast might become an exciting expedition. But the very best part about the Mama Car is…it has Mama! And she’s always there when you need her. This sweet story from writer and wheelchair user Lucy Catchpole and illustrator Karen George portrays a mother’s wheelchair as a wonderfully normal part of family life.
Winner of a Sydney Taylor Book Award Honor!
A heartfelt novel about a neurodivergent thirteen-year-old navigating changing friendships, a school trip, and expanding horizons for fans of Rain Reign and Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World.
Thirteen-year-old Ellen Katz feels most comfortable when her life is well planned out and people fit neatly into her predefined categories. She attends temple with Abba and Mom every Friday and Saturday. Ellen only gets crushes on girls, never boys, and she knows she can always rely on her best-and-only friend, Laurel, to help navigate social situations at their private Georgia middle school. Laurel has always made Ellen feel like being autistic is no big deal. But lately, Laurel has started making more friends, and cancelling more weekend plans with Ellen than she keeps. A school trip to Barcelona seems like the perfect place for Ellen to get their friendship back on track.
Except it doesn’t. Toss in a new nonbinary classmate whose identity has Ellen questioning her very binary way of seeing the world, homesickness, a scavenger hunt-style team project that takes the students through Barcelona to learn about Spanish culture and this trip is anything but what Ellen planned.
Making new friends and letting go of old ones is never easy, but Ellen might just find a comfortable new place for herself if she can learn to embrace the fact that life doesn’t always stick to a planned itinerary.
Making new friends and letting go of old ones is never easy, but Ellen might just find a comfortable new place for herself if she can learn to embrace the fact that life doesn’t always stick to a planned itinerary.
“Aven is a perky, hilarious, and inspiring protagonist whose attitude and humor will linger even after the last page has turned.” —School Library Journal (Starred review)
Aven Green loves to tell people that she lost her arms in an alligator wrestling match, or a wildfire in Tanzania, but the truth is she was born without them. And when her parents take a job running Stagecoach Pass, a rundown western theme park in Arizona, Aven moves with them across the country knowing that she’ll have to answer the question over and over again.
Her new life takes an unexpected turn when she bonds with Connor, a classmate who also feels isolated because of his own disability, and they discover a room at Stagecoach Pass that holds bigger secrets than Aven ever could have imagined. It’s hard to solve a mystery, help a friend, and face your worst fears. But Aven’s about to discover she can do it all . . . even without arms.
#1 bestselling author James Patterson doles out the laughs in the first book in the hit series! Middle-schooler Jamie Grimm faces bullies and self-doubt as he chases his dream of becoming the world’s greatest comedian.
Jamie Grimm is a middle schooler on a mission: he wants to become the world’s greatest standup comedian–even if he doesn’t have a lot to laugh about these days. He’s new in town and stuck living with his aunt, uncle, and their evil son Stevie, a bully who doesn’t let Jamie’s wheelchair stop him from messing with Jamie as much as possible. But Jamie doesn’t let his situation get him down. When his Uncle Frankie mentions a contest called The Planet’s Funniest Kid Comic, Jamie knows he has to enter. But are the judges only rewarding him out of pity because of his wheelchair, like Stevie suggests? Will Jamie ever share the secret of his troubled past instead of hiding behind his comedy act?
Prepare to laugh and cheer along with Jamie in this highly-illustrated, heartfelt middle school story.
A Schneider Family Book Award Honor book! In this authentic and humorous picture book, a child with a limb difference is tired of being told how amazing he is for doing normal things.
Joe and his friend Simone are practicing their best playground tricks, but everyone keeps saying how amazing Joe is, even when he tries to let Simone be the star. Will he ever get to be just Joe, whether he’s amazing or not?
This companion to What Happened to You? addresses the assumptions people make about those with disabilities in an accessible, honest, and funny way. Based on James Catchpole’s childhood experiences and written with his wife, Lucy, a wheelchair user, You’re SO Amazing! encourages young readers to think of disability the way disabled people do: as normal.
In 1922, at the age of two, Petey’s distraught parents commit him to the state’s insane asylum, unaware that their son is actually suffering from severe cerebral palsy. Bound by his wheelchair and struggling to communicate with the people around him, Petey finds a way to remain kind and generous despite the horrific conditions in his new “home.” Through the decades, he befriends several caretakers but is heartbroken when each eventually leaves him. Determined not to be hurt again, he vows to no longer let hope of lifelong friends and family torment him.
That changes after he is moved into a nursing home and meets a young teen named Trevor Ladd; he sees something in the boy and decides to risk friendship one last time. Trevor, new to town and a bit of a loner, is at first weary of the old man in the wheelchair. But after hearing more of his story, Trevor learns that there is much more to Petey than meets the eye.
In this poignant and inspiring tale, Ben Mikaelsen weaves humor and heart into an unforgettable story about the dignity, respect, and human connection that every person deserves.
