My Favorite Books About Disabilities - Part Two
Today I am back sharing four more of my favorite books that portray characters with disabilities! I wrote Part One last year and you can read it here! To recap, reading inclusive literature is the most natural way to foster conversations about differences. The more a child is exposed to people that are different from them, the more likely they are to celebrate those differences.
The first book, The Day You Begin, by Jacqueline Woodson, navigates the feeling of being in a place where there is no one quote like you. It encourages readers to begin sharing our stories, even when it’s scary, so that others can learn about us and share about themselves, too!
My next book, Gary’s Gigantic Dream, written by my friend, Dr. Nicole Julia, is the first book in The Able Fables, which is an inclusive children’s book series. Gary’s Gigantic Dream is an upbeat, rhythmic story about Gary the giraffe and his newfound freedom after receiving his first wheelchair. Nicole also just published the second book in her series, Lia’s Kind Mind, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it!
Say Something! written by Peter H. Reynolds should be in every classroom! It is based on the idea that our voices have the power to change the world and is a fun way to teach children how much impact their voice can have. It has also been translated into Spanish and French, so it’s perfect for bilingual and ESL classrooms! You can find the Spanish version here and the French version here!
The last book on this list is a new favorite! It’s called Mighty Miss Maya and is written by Ann Tisdale. This book is about Ann’s daughter, Maya, who has cerebral palsy, and Maya’s dog, Abby, who has three paws! Maya and Abby go on lots of adventures together and when faced with a big challenge, Maya is reminded of just how mighty she is!
Again, in case you missed it, I shared four more inclusive children’s books in Part One and I have more coming soon! It is my hope that these books help you incorporate discussions of inclusion and disabilities in your home at a level your child is able to understand. I have also shared my favorite chapter books that portray characters with disabilities, as well as my favorite books about disabilities for educators!
Do you have a favorite inclusive children’s book? I’d love to hear about it!
