Representation Matters: Kids Books That Embrace Disability and Difference
When we don’t talk openly about disabilities, they can become the elephants in the room, and children may interpret disability as a restricted topic. Let’s prioritize discussing and educating children about all kinds of physical differences. One way to do this is to read children’s books, like those below, that show respectful and genuine representation. Reading about people who are different from you lets you imagine, reflect on, and learn about their lives.
Baby Loves the Five Senses: Sight!
by Ruth Spiro
This series explains to toddlers how the five senses work. The Sight and Hearing books also explain sight and hearing disabilities. An important introduction to the diversity of human bodies.
Pre -K
Baby Loves the Five Senses: Hearing!
by Ruth Spiro
Pre -K
This Beach is Loud!
by Samantha Cotterill
When a young boy is overwhelmed by all the sights, sounds, and sensations at the beach, his father gently reminds him of tricks that help calm him.
Grades Pre-K to 1
Moses Goes to a Concert
by Issac Millman
Moses loves playing his new drum. Even though he is deaf, he can feel the vibrations when he plays. One day, Moses's class goes to a concert. The teacher then says that he knows the percussionist and that she is deaf as well!
Grades Pre-K–2
Benji, the Bad Day, and Me
by Sally J. Pia, illustrated by Ken Min
In this tender story about siblings, author Sally J. Pia shares her experience of raising sons with different personality traits and needs. Benji, the Bad Day, and Me embraces the philosophy that we are all part of a wide spectrum of neurodiversity. And on those really bad, rotten days, you can always count on family to be there for you.
Grades Pre-K–K
Hello Goodbye Dog
by Maria Gianferrari, illustrated by Patrice Barton
A student who uses a wheelchair finds a way to see her dog each day in school.
Grades Pre-K–2
The Black Book of Colors
by Menena Cottin, illustrated by Rosana Faria, translated by Elisa Amado
Illustrations with raised lines and descriptions of color based on imagery provide readers with an interactive experience with the concept of blindness and include a full Braille alphabet.
Grades Pre-K–2
Can Bears Ski
by Raymond Antrobus, illustrated by Polly Dunbar
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.
Grades K–1
Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You!
by Sonia Sotomoyor, illustrated by Rafael Lopez
Sonia and her friends plant a garden, and each one contributes in his or her own special way, in a book that celebrates the many differences among humans.
Grades K–2
I Talk Like a River
by Jordan Scott, illustrated by Sydney Smith
When a boy who stutters feels isolated, alone, and incapable of communicating in the way he'd like, it takes a kindly father and a walk by the river to help him find his voice. Compassionate parents everywhere will instantly recognize a father's ability to reconnect a child with the world around him.
Grades 1–4
Frida Kahlo: Little People Big Dreams
by Isabel Sanchez Vegara, illustrated by Fan Eng Gee, translated by Emma Martinez
An introduction to the life and achievements of the famed Mexican artist describes the childhood accident that ended her ambitions to study medicine and prompted her to become an artist while regularly confined by disabilities.
Grades 1–3
Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille
by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Boris Kulikov
The story of Louis Braille and how he developed the Braille alphabet system.
Grades 1–3
Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah
by Laurie Ann Thompson, illustrated by Sean Qualls
The inspiring story of a West African youth who pursued an education, helped support his family, and became a record-setting cyclist in spite of a disability traces his ongoing achievements as an activist.
Grades K–3
Thank you, Mr. Falker
by Patricia Polacco
Trisha loves school but has difficulty learning to read. Until a new teacher helps her understand and helps her find a solution. An autobiographical tribute to Polacco's fifth-grade teacher, the first adult to recognize her learning disability and to help her learn to read.
Grades K–4
Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.