Kids' Books for Disability Awareness

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Brook Sitgraves Turner

How do you like to go? The We Are Little Feminists series celebrates all of who we are. We created our On-the-Go book to help families & educators discuss mobility & ability.

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Keah Brown

Sam, who has cerebral palsy, goes back-to-school shopping with her best friends.

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Shuli de la Fuente-Lau

Celebrates all the different ways we eat (such as with spoons, chopsticks, and GI tubes), helping families and educators discuss ability, culture, and food.

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Raymond Antrobus

Is Little Bear ignoring his friends when they say hi, or is something else going on? A discovery opens new doors in a tale that will delight kids with deafness and all children learning to navigate their world.

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Samantha Cotterill

Laila's birthday party, perfectly planned with her autism in mind, goes awry due to a change in weather and an accident with her cake, but with the help of her mom and her service dog, Laila knows she can handle this.

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Kelly Fritsch

A bold and colorful exploration of all the ways that people navigate through the spaces around them, and a celebration of the relationships we build along the way. We Move Together follows a mixed-ability group of kids as they creatively negotiate everyday barriers, and find joy and connection in disability culture and community. A perfect tool for families, schools, and libraries to facilitate conversations about disability, accessibility, social justice, and community building. Includes a kid-friendly glossary.

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Tiffany Hammond

A must-read that belongs in every home and classroom, A Day With No Words invites readers into the life of an Autism Family who communicates just as the child does, without spoken language.

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Paul Harbridge

A picture book about a girl who spends the summer with her family at a lake and learns to become more self-reliant.

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Trinity Neal

A dedicated mom puts love into action as she creates the perfect rainbow-colored wig for her transgender daughter, based on the real-life experience of mother-daughter advocate duo Trinity and DeShanna Neal.

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Rose Robbins

A girl with autism who almost never speaks demonstrates how easily she communicates with her brother and grandmother through facial expressions, gestures, flashcards, and drawings.

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Marilyn Singer

A sweet dog-loves-kid/kid-loves-dog story, in which the kid uses a wheelchair, from an award-winning children's poet and talented debut illustrator.

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Elisa Boxer

As a child with polio in the early 1900s, swimming set Ethelda Bleibtrey free. The water released her from her pain and helped her build strong muscle--and a powerful spirit. From then on, from the New York beaches to the 1920 Olympics, Ethelda made a splash wherever she went.

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Prasha Sooful

Is your brain magic? Whether your brain buzzes around the room like a bee or tells you to be loud and roar like a lion, celebrate the many things that it can be! This sensory-seeking celebration shines a light on neurodiversity and sensory processing in a fun and action-packed way for all children to enjoy.

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Maryann Cocca-Leffler

There was a time in the United States when children with disabilities weren't allowed to go to public school. But in 1971, seven kids and their families wanted to do something about it. They knew that every child had a right to an equal education, so they went to court to fight for that right. The case Mills v. Board of Education of the District of Columbia led to laws ensuring children with disabilities would receive a free public education. Janine Leffler, one of the millions of kids who attended school as a result of these laws, tells the true story of this landmark case.

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Jordan Scott

When a child has a "bad speech day" at school, his father gives him a new perspective on his stuttering.

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Julie A. Stamm

Some days Wyatt and his mom have big adventures and some days, when his mom's multiple sclerosis flares up, they have small adventures.

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Jessica Kensky

When he is paired with a girl who has lost her legs, Rescue worries that he isn't up to the task of being her service dog.

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Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow

Abdul loves telling stories but thinks his messy handwriting and spelling mistakes will keep him from becoming an author, until Mr. Muhammad visits and encourages him to persist.

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C. L. Reid

Her second place finish in a writing contest for third graders disappoints Emma, a deaf girl, but her best friend Izzie, who did not expect much, is thrilled to finish third, so the girls decide to celebrate together. Includes an ASL fingerspelling chart and a sign language guide.

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Alina Chau

Jordan's days as the star player for her school's basketball team ended when an accident left her paralyzed...Now, she's still the team captain, but her competition days seem to be behind her...until an encounter with a mysterious elephant, who she names Marshmallow, helps Jordan discover a brand new sport. Will water polo be the way for Jordan to continue her athletic dreams--or will it just come between Jordan and her best friends on the basketball team?

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Jason Reynolds

Portico Reeves' secret identity as Stuntboy allows him to use his superpower keep everybody safe, but when his superhero parents start fighting a lot he feels the responsibility to save them.

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Sarah Kapit

Eleven-year-old knuckleball pitcher Vivy Cohen, who has autism, becomes pen pals with her favorite Major League baseball player after writing a letter to him as an assignment for her social skills class.

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Sarah Elisabeth Allen

Twelve-year-old Libby, born with Turner Syndrome, is determined to win a science contest and use the money to help her older sister's growing family, while surviving middle school.

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Nicole Panteleakos

Autistic and nearly nonverbal, twelve-year-old Nova is happy in her new foster home and school, but eagerly anticipates the 1986 Challenger launch, for which her sister, Bridget, promised to return.

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Caela Carter

A chronically frustrated eleven-year-old girl named Gwendolyn Rogers comes to realize she has an undiagnosed mental health issue and tries every way possible to get control of her emotions.

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Christine Day

After an injury sidelines her dreams of becoming a ballet star, Maisie is not excited for her blended family's midwinter road trip along the coast, near the Makah community where her mother grew up.

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Carlos Alberto Pablo Hernandez

In order to heal after his mother's death, thirteen-year-old Sal learns to reach into time and space to retrieve things--and people--from other universes.

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Ali Stroker

After moving across the country, thirteen-year-old Natalie auditions for her new school's play and overcomes her fears and insecurities about performing in a wheelchair.

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Rob Harrell

After being diagnosed with a rare eye cancer, twelve-year-old Ross discovers how music, art, and true friends can help him survive both treatment and middle school.

Summaries provided by DPL's catalog unless otherwise noted. Click on each title to view more information.

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