Picture Books about Disabilities for Young Readers

We are very fortunate to have a contribution from one of the students on our campus, who provided a list of books on disabilities. Rachel shares this list with a cautionary note that some of the books are dated and do not always reflect current practice and theory. She hopes that you will find this list helpful both in identifying picture books about disabilities and in critically assessing the content of picture books. For more information about critical analysis of picture books, check out Kay Vandergrift’s “Notes for the Analysis of a Picture Book

NOTE: Author names, when available, appear in parentheses after each title.

1. ABC For You and Me (Meg Girnis)
2. A button in Her Ear (Ada Bassett Litchfield)
3. A.D.D. Book For Kids (Shelley Rotner)
4. A.D.D. Not B.A.D (Audrey Penn)
5. A Girl Named Helen Keller (Margo Lundell)
6. Alex Is My Friend (Marisabina Russo)
7. All Kinds of Friends, Even Green! (Ellen B. Senisi)
8. Andy and his Yellow Frisbee (Mary Thompson)
9. Arnie and the New Kid (Nancy Carlson)
10. A Very Special Critter (Gina Mayer, Mercer Mayer)
11. A Very Special Sister (Dorothy Hoffman Levi)
12. Be Good to Eddie Lee (Virginia Fleming)
13. Be Quiet, Marina! (Kirsten Debear)
14. Big Brother Dustin (Alden R. Carter)
15. Blindness: A First Book (Malcolm E. Weiss)
16. Brian’s Bird (Patricia A. Davis)
17. Can You Hear a Rainbow? : The Story of a Deaf Boy Named Chris (Jamee Riggio Heelan)
18. Charlie’s Challenge (Linda Gladden)
19. Circles of Friends: People With Disabilities and Their Friends Enrich the Lives of One Another (Robert Perske)
20. Clifford Visits the Hospital (Norman Bridwell)
21. Cosmo Gets an Ear (Gary Clemente)
22. Crow Boy (Taro Yashima)
23. Dad and Me in the Morning (Pat Lakin)
24. Deafness: A First Book (Jane Hyman)
25. Dear Santa, Please Come to the 19th Floor (Yin)
26. Dina the Deaf Dinosaur (Carole Addabbo)
27. Don’t Call Me Special: A First Look at Disability (Pat Thomas)
28. Dustin’s Big Day at School
29. Eddie Enough! (Debbie Zimmett)
30. Elana’s Ears, or How I Became the Best Big Sister in the World (Gloria Roth Lowell)
31. Eukee: The Jumpy Jumpy Elephant (Clifford L. Corman)
32. Even Little Kids Get Diabetes (Connie White Pirner)
33. Everybody is Different: A book for young people who have brothers or sisters with autism (Fiona Bleach)
34. Extraordinary Friends (Fred Rogers)
35. Finding a Way: Living With Exceptional Brothers and Sisters (Maxine B. Rosenberg)
36. Going With the Flow (Claire H. Blatchford)
37. Harry and Willy and Carrot Head (Judith Casely)
38 . Helen Keller: Courage in the Dark (Johanna Hurwitz)
39. He’s my Brother (Joe Lasker)
40. Here Comes Kate! (Judy Carlson)
41. Hooray for Harold, Dealing With Hearing Loss (Tim Peters)
42. How It Feels to Live With a Physical Disability (Jill Krementz)
43. Howie Helps Himself (Joan Fassler)
44. Ian’s Walk: A Story about Autism (Laurie Lears)
45. I Am Not Dumb (A Motiar)
46. I Can’t Always Hear You (Joy Zelonky)
47. I Have a Sister–My Sister Is Deaf (Jeanne Whitehouse Peterson)
48. Imagine Me on a Sit-Ski (George Moran)
49. I’m Deaf and It’s Okay (Lorraine Aseltine)
50. I’m Tougher Than Asthma! (Siri M. Carter)
51. It’s OK to be Different (Todd Parr)
52. I wish I could fly like a bird (Katherine Denison)
53. Jennifer Jean, the Cross-Eyed Queen
54. Joey and Sam: “A Heartwarming Storybook About Autism, a Family, and a Brother’s Love” (Illana Katz)
55. Jump Rope (Karen Gerald Wheaton)
56. Jumpin’ Johnny Get Back to Work! : A Child’s Guide to ADHD/Hyperactivity (Michael Gordon)
57. Just a Little Different (Bonnie Dobkin)
58. Just Kids: Visiting a Class for Children With Special Needs
(Ellen B. Senisi)
59. Just Like Everybody Else (Jim Pierson)
60. Just Like You (Sarah Albee)

61. Just Talk to Me, Please
62. Lee, the Rabbit With Epilepsy (Deborah M. Moss)
63. Leo the Late Bloomer (Robert Kraus)
64. Let’s Talk About Dyslexia (Melanie Apel Gordon)
65. Let’s Talk About Needing Extra Help in School (Susan Kent)
66. Let’s Talk About It: Extraordinary Friends (Fred Rogers)
67. Listen for the Bus: David’s Story (Patricia McMahon)
68. Little Rainman (Karen Simmons)
69. Mandy (Barbara D. Booth)
70. Mittens, Mittens & More Mittens (Laura Maryon)
71. Mom Can’t See Me (Sally Hobart Alexander
72. Moses Goes to a Concert (Isaac Milllman)
73. Moses Goes to School (Isaac Millman)
74. Mountains to Climb (Richard M. Wainwright)
75. My Brother Matthew (Mary Thompson)
76. My Brother Sammy (Becky Edwards)
77. My Brother Steven is Retarded (Harriet Langsam Sobol)
78. My Buddy (Audrey Osofsky)
79. My Friend Jacob (Lucille Clifton)
80. My Friend Leslie, The Story of a Handicapped Child (Maxine B. Rosenberg)
81. My Sister Is Special (Larry Jansen)
82. Naomi Knows It’s Springtime (Virginia L. Kroll)
83. Nick Joins in (Joe Lasker)
84. Oliver’s High Five (Beverly Swerdlow Brown
85. Otto Learns About His Medicine: A Story About Medication for Children With ADHD (Sandra Ferraro)
86. Our Brother Has Down’s Syndrome (Shelley Cairo)
87. Princess Pooh (Kathleen M. Muldoon)
88. Rolling Along: The Story of Taylor and his wheelchair (Jamee Riggio Heelan)
89. Rolling Along with Goldilocks and the Three Bears (Cindy Meyers)
90. Rufus Comes Home (Kim Gosselin)
91. Russ and the Almost Perfect Day (Janet Elizabeth Rickert)
92. Russ and the Apple Tree Surprise (Janet Elizabeth Rickert)
93. Seal Surfer (Michael Foreman)
94. See the Ocean (Estelle Condra)
95. See You Tomorrow, Charles (Miriam Cohen)
96. Seeing Things My Way (Alden R. Carter)
97. Shelley, the Hyperactive Turtle (Deborah M. Moss)
98. Snow (Catherine Farnes)
99. Some Kids Are Blind (Lola M. Schaefer)
100. Some Kids Use Wheelchairs (Lola M. Schaefer)
101. Some Kids Wear Leg Braces (Lola M. Schaefer
102. Someone Special, Just Like You (Tricia Brown)
103. Sparky’s Excellent Misadventures: My A.D.D. Journal
(Phyllis Carpenter)
104. Special People, Special Ways (Arlene Maguire)
105. Susan Laughs (Jeanne Willis)
106. Taking Asthma to School (Kim Gosselin)
107. Taking Diabetes to School (Kim Gosselin)
108. Taking Seizure Disorders to School: A Story About Epilepsy (Kim Gosselin)
109. Talking About Disability (Jillian Powell)
110. Thank You, Mr. Falker (Patricia Polacco)
111. The Honeywood Street Fair (Catherine Lucas)
112. The Lion Who Had Asthma (Jonathan London)
113. The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer (Jimmy Carter)
114. The Little Lame Prince (Rosemary Wells,)
115. The Making of my special hand (Jamee Riggio Heelan)
116. The Secret Code (Dana Meachen Rau)
117. The Special Raccoon: Helping a child learn about handicaps and love (Kim Carlisle)
118. Unlikely Friends: A Story of Second Chances (Monica Hall)
119. Way to Go, Alex! (Robin Pulver)
120. We’ll Paint the Octopus Red (Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen)
121. What Do You Mean I Have a Learning Disability? (Kathleen M. Dwyer)
122. What’s Wrong with Timmy? (Maria Shriver)
123. You’ve Got a Friend (Joni Eareckson Tada)
124. Zoey and the Zones: A Story for Children with Asthma
(Shawn R. McCormick)
125. Zooallergy: A Fun Story About Allergy and Asthma Triggers
(Kim Gosselin)
126. Zoom! (Robert Munsch)