Books for talking about Physical Disabilities/Differences with kids
See also: Let's Talk about Differences
Picture Books about Differences in General
A Very Big Bunny by Marisabina Russo
- Pub Date: 2010
- See also: Self Esteem
- Amelia is a very big bunny, and none of her classmates want to play with her because she looks different. Then Susannah joins the class. Susannah is a very small bunny, and none of her classmates--including Amelia--want to play with her. Amelia learns that playing with someone who looks different from you can be a lot of fun.
Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell
- Pub Date: 2001
- See also: Self Esteem
- Kids at Molly Lou Melon's new school make fun of her, but Molly doesn't let it change how she feels about herself.
Some Monsters are Different by David Milgrim
- Pub Date: 2013
- See also: Tolerance/Acceptance
- Spare text and colorful illustrations explore some of the ways monsters can be different.
Little Vinayak by Shobha Viswanath
- Pub Date: 2015
- A little elephant has a really long trunk.
Picture Books about Disabilities
Harry and Willy and Carrothead by Judith Caseley
- Pub Date: 1991
- Being born with no left hand doesn't keep Harry from being a normal kid.
Mama Zooms by Jane Cowen-Fletcher
- Pub Date: 1996
- A little boy describes all the things his mother can do in her wheelchair.
Susan Laughs by Jeane Willis
- Pub Date: 2000
- Susan shares all the things she likes to do, and it is only at the end of the book that the illustration shows Susan in a wheelchair. Her disability is never mentioned in the text.
Not So Different by Shane Burcaw
- Pub Date: 2017
- This Q and A style book with photographs tackles Burcaw's experience living with SMA.
Middle Grade Novels
One Handed Catch by MJ Auch
- Pub Date: 2009
- I highly recommend this novel about a boy who loses a hand.
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
Stranded by Ben Mikaelsen
- Pub Date: 2000
- After losing her foot in an accident, twelve-year-old Koby feels isolated.
Red Butterfly by A.L. Sonnichsen
- Pub Date: 2015
- Grades 4-7 interest
- Kara, who has a limb difference, was abandoned as a baby in China and raised by an American woman who took her in.
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling
Young Adult Novels
Accidents of Nature by Harriet McBryde Johnson
- Pub Date: 2006
- Jean doesn't consider herself disabled.
Izzy Willy Nilly by Cynthia Voigt
- Pub Date: 1986
- A now classic teen novel that follows Izzy as she adjusts to life as an amputee after a drunk driving accident.
North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
- Pub Date: 2009
- Middle and high school interest
- See also: Art, Beauty & Self Image, Abuse
- Terra has a port-wine stain birthmark on her face that she covers with makeup.
The One Where the Kid Nearly Jumps to His Death and Lands in California by Mary Hershey
Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen
- Pub Date: 2011
- Middle and high school interest
- Discussion Points: Cost of prosthetics, fund-raising, being in the spotlight
- Jessica, a runner, loses her leg in an accident and adjusts to life as an amputee.
Shark Girl by Kelly Binghm
- Pub Date: 2007
- Middle and high school interest
- See also: Art
- Discussion Points: Labels, Being in the Spotlight
- Jane must learn to use her left hand to draw after her right arm is amputated.
Stoner and Spaz by Ron Koertge
- Pub Date: 2011
- High School Interest
- See also: DIY
- Discussion Points: Sexuality & Disability
- Ben, who has cerebral palsy, and Colleen make a movie.
Tripping by Heather Waldorf
- Pub Date: 2009
- High school interest
- See also: Long Lost Parents
- While traveling on a cross-country trip, Rainey (who was born without a leg) learns that her birthmother wants to meet her.
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