These books feature real and fictional characters with disabilities to showcase how inclusion and diversity improve our community, as well as to remind disabled readers that they're not alone. When able, I focused on titles that were created by authors and illustrators who identify as disabled. I also noted which titles are set in dyslexic-friendly fonts or have other formats, like eBooks or audiobooks.
Sam, a young girl with cerebral palsy, goes school shopping with her friends and takes rest breaks as necessary in this inclusive picture book that stresses the importance of accommodation and pacing. I loved that the book was able to showcase Sam's…
In cheerful rhyming text, readers are introduced to a cast of friendly, diverse families whose members happen to have different disabilities. We see how these families play, eat, and interact with one another in their homes. It's absolutely…
Emma, a young deaf girl, loves playing soccer with her friends, but when one of them wants to quit, she helps them practice and encourages them to keep trying. The book includes some ASL throughout, a finger-spelling guide, and more. I often…
Astrid is determined to be the first hearing-aid-wearing astronaut to go into space! The first step in this plan is to join her school's space club with her best friend, but when her best friend decides she'd rather join the art club, Astrid has to…
Bea loves to tell stories, but her dyslexia makes it hard for her to write them down. Recognizing her difficulties, her teacher provides her with a tape recorder so she can record her own stories. Bea blossoms, making friends and narrating…
Based on his own childhood, poet Jordan Scott introduces us to a young boy who feels frustrated and alone, unable to make the words come out the way he wants them to. After a particularly difficult school day, his father takes him on a walk down by…
A picture book biography introducing readers to deaf percussionist Evelyn Glennie. Glennie's experiences show readers that there are many ways to listen and that inclusion of people with disabilities can create beautiful things. I found the…
Inspired by her own life, Tony Award-winner Ali Stroker tells the story of a young girl putting on her own musical for the first time. With help from her family and friends, a set is designed, a musical chosen, and costumes made, until a storm…
Inspired by his own experience with dyslexia, Talbott introduces a young boy who loves to draw and engage with stories, but who struggles to read. Illustrations emphasize the struggles and fears of the boy, but his persistence and love of stories…
Showcasing how "blue moods" and depression can impact people of any age, Tomlinson introduces readers to Coen, a young boy having a rough day. HIs family tries to help him in the ways they think are best, until they realize all they really need to…
A friendly and accessible introduction to the concepts of disability and ableism as well as the different kinds of disabilities one might encounter. Written by disability activist Ashley Harris Whaley, the book encourages readers to embrace…
