On this month's list, we're highlighting books that highlight people with disabilities. There are books on the list with characters with physical disabilities, visual impairments, hearing impairments, learning disabilities, and cognitive disabilities. Students can find bigraphies, as well as fiction books on the list.
A Boy and a Jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz
Presents a picture book featuring the true story of Alan Rabinowitz, who loved the animals at the zoo and hated that they were kept in cages. Wanting to speak out, Alan found he couldn't keep himself from stuttering, except when talking to animals--a fact he used to his advantage in championing animal rights.
Interest Grade Level: PreK-2
MackinVia | RR Library | Amazon
A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold
Bat has been a bit too busy in his autism-focused classroom at school to find a real friend. And he's got one month to show his mom that a baby skunk might just make a pretty terrific pet.
Interest Grade Level: 1-5
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
A Dog Called Homeless by Sarah Lean
Cally stops talking, partly because her father & brother never speak of her mother's recent death, but friendships with a homeless man & a disabled boy ensure she still communicates.
Interest Grade Level: 3-7
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
A Friend for Henry by Jenn Bailey
Henry would like to find a friend at school, but for a boy on the autism spectrum, making friends can be difficult, as his efforts are sometimes misinterpreted, or things just go wrong--but Henry keeps trying, and in the end he finds a friend he can play with.
Interest Grade Level: PreK-1
MackinVia | RR Library | Amazon
A Plan for Pops by Heather Smith
Every Saturday Lou visits her grandparents, Grandad and Pops. They all have their own favorite activities to celebrate her visit, and they love spending time together. But when Pops falls and needs to use a wheelchair, he acts quiet and sad. Grandad and Lou will have to come up with a plan to make Pops feel better and happier.
Interest Grade Level: PreK-1
MackinVia | RR Library | Amazon
A Sporting Chance: How Ludwig Guttmann Created the Paralympic Games by Lori Alexander
Illustrated biography of Ludwig Guttmann, a Jewish doctor whose pioneering work with spinal cord injured patients eventually led to the creation of the Paralympic Games. Includes discussion of the history of how patients who had spinal cord injuries were treated, as well as profiles of famous Paralympic athletes.
Interest Grade Level: 3-7
MackinVia | RR Library | Amazon
A Young Man's Dance by Laurie Knowlton
Grandma Ronnie's grandson has a hard time adjusting to her needing a wheelchair, living in a nursing home, and not recognizing him when he comes to visit her.
COE Library | Amazon
Alicia Alonso: Prima Ballerina by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand
Presents the biography and special achievements of Alicia Alonso who, despite being partially blind, became the Cuban prima ballerina and choreographer extraordinaire. Demonstrates her drive and dedication to her art and provides a chronology of events during her career.
Interest Grade Level: 3-7
COE Library | Amazon
All the Way to the Top: How One Girl's Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything by Annette Bay Pimental
Illustrated children's book that tells the story of Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, a young girl confined to a wheelchair who, along with others, fought for the Americans With Disabilities Act. Includes additional information about the disabled community, a timeline, and a note from the author.
Interest Grade Level: K-3
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
Back to Front and Upside Down! by Claire Alexander
While the rest of the class makes birthday cards for the principal, Stanley struggles with his words and letters.
Interest Grade Level: PreK-2
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
Ballerina Dreams: A True Story by Lauren Thompson
Tells the true story of five young girls that learn ballet and perform on stage despite suffering from cerebral palsy, needing a wheelchair to move, or having other debilitating physical conditions. Includes full-color photographs with captions, information about cerebral palsy, and a short biography for each girl, their teacher, and their helpers.
Interest Grade Level: K-2
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
Bat and the Waiting Game by Elana K. Arnold
Bixby Alexander Tam goes by Bat, and life is pretty great, even though he is autistic. He takes care of Thor, the best baby skunk ever, and even his older sister, Janie, kind of likes Thor. Then Janie gets a part in the school play and has to practice after school, which means she can't watch Bat--which means big changes for Bat's life. He just has to adjust long enough to get to the night of Janie's play.
Interest Grade Level: 2-5
MackinVia | RR Library | Amazon
Be Good to Eddie Lee by Virginia M. Fleming
Although Christy considers him a pest, when Eddie Lee, a boy with Down Syndrome, follows her into the woods one day, and shares his understanding of nature with her, she learns a new appreciation for him.
Interest Grade Level: PreK-3
COE Library | Amazon
Built for Speed by Vicky Fang
Layla and her robot friends, Beep, Boop, and Bop, are performing at Blossom Valley's go-kart race, and they can't wait. The week of the race, they go check out the go-karts and discover their friend Tina can't compete because she needs to be able to use her hands to control the gas and brakes instead of her feet. So, Layla and the Bots decide that they will design an accessible go-kart for Tina, but they soon learn that may be easier said than done. With some serious problem solving, Layla and the Bots build the perfect go-kart for Tina.
Interest Grade Level: K-2
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
Case of the Uncrackable Code by Kyla Steinkraus
Rocket may be the fastest third-grader around, but he has dyslexia, making him a slower reader. When he comes across what he believes to be coded messages warning of danger to Mrs. Flores, their teacher, Rocket gathers together his friends, the Gumshoe Gang, to crack the case before time runs out.
Interest Grade Level: 2-4
MackinVia | Amazon
Caterpillar Summer by Gillian McDunn
Since her father's death, Cat has taken care of her special-needs brother, Chicken, for their hardworking mother, but while spending time with grandparents they never knew, Cat has the chance to be a child again.
Interest Grade Level: 3-4
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
Eight Times Up by John Corr
Riley's father signs him up for aikido in order to help him deal with his anxiety. At the dojo, Riley meets boys who are much rougher than he is and Wafaa, a Muslim girl for whom aikido is not her first choice. Through their sensei, Riley and his classmates begin to learn that aikido isn't about winning or losing or being perfect, but about finding inner strength.
Interest Grade Level: 4-7
MackinVia | Amazon
El Deafo by Cece Bell
A graphic novel memoir of author/illustrator Cece Bell who grew up hearing impaired.
Interest Grade Level: 3-7
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson
Emmanuel, a young man born in Ghana with a deformed leg, refused to beg to survive and instead persevered until he was able to get a job and raise money to achieve his dream, riding a bicycle 400 miles across Ghana to bring attention to the plight of disabled people. As a result of his efforts, the Parliament passed a Persons with Disabilities act and Emmanuel opened a school for students with disabilities.
Interest Grade Level: PreK-3
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Ally has dyslexia, and can no more read like everyone else than a fish can climb a tree. Tired of being called slow and a loser, Ally finds that in her latest new school her teacher understands her limitations and actually sees in her a creative, intelligent side. New friends with their own learning disabilities help Ally see that she can achieve success and find happiness.
Interest Grade Level: 4-8
COE Library | MackinVia | RR Library | Amazon
Franklin D. Roosevelt by Michael Burgan
A biography of the wheelchair-bound president who optimistically led the United States through more than a decade of economic, social, and political problems
COE Library
Frida Kahlo by Adam Klein
Traces the life and work of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. Examines the artist's unique style as well as the people and events that inspired her works. Features informative text, full-color illustrations, and a glossary.
Interest Grade Level: 3-6
COE Library | Amazon
Friends at School by Rochelle Bunnett
Text and photographs follow a group of children with different nationalities, abilities, and disabilities through a happy, cooperative day at school.
Interest Grade Level: PreK-2
COE Library | Amazon
Helen Keller's Best Friend Belle by Holly Barry
Discusses how Helen Keller learned to read, write, and speak despite being blind and deaf and spotlights her friendship with her dog, Belle, which helped motivate her to succeed.
Interest Grade Level: PreK-2
COE Library | MackinVia | Amazon
Henri's Scissors by Jeanette Winter
Presents a look at the paper cutouts that painter Henri Matisse created after being confined to a wheelchair late in his career.
Interest Grade Level: K-3
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
Her Own Two Feet: A Rwandan Girl's Brave Fight to Walk by Meredity Davis
Relates the story of how nine-year-old Rebeka Uwitonze found the courage to leave her home in Rwanda for the United States in order to have surgery to fix her curled and twisted feet so that she is able to walk.
Interest Grade Level: 4-7
COE Library | MackinVia | RR Library | Amazon
Holy Enchilada! by Henry Winkler
Efforts to impress a visiting student from Japan cause Hank to hide his dyslexia while the gang makes enchiladas for a Multi-Cultural Day lunch, and Hank is afraid he was very wrong about the amount of chili powder called for in the recipe.
Interest Grade Level: 3-7
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling
When thirteen-year-old Aven and her family take over a Western theme park in Arizona, she is forced into a new school. Being born with no arms, life is difficult enough, but with so many changes, Aven is desperate to connect. She then meets Connor, a boy with his own disability, and after finding a mysterious storage shed, Aven and Conner learn about the importance of friendship.
Interest Grade Level: 3-7
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
Just Ask!: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You by Sonia Sotomayor
Presents a celebration of the world's diversity that explains why different people make the world more vibrant and wonderful, just the way a variety of plants and flowers enhance a garden.
Interest Grade Level: PreK-3
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
Kylie Jean Gymnastic Queen by M. Peschke
The Summer Olympics inspires Kylie Jean Carter to take gymnastics lessons, but even better than that is making a new friend, Abby, who is deaf, and starting to learn sign language.
Interest Grade Level: 1-3
COE Library | Amazon
Little Stevie Wonder by Quincy Troupe
A poetic tribute to blind musician and composer Stevie Wonder. CD includes 2 Stevie Wonder songs.
Interest Grade Level: PreK-3
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish by Pablo Cartaya
After a fight at school leaves Marcus facing suspension, Marcus's mother takes him and his younger brother, who has Down syndrome, to Puerto Rico to visit relatives they do not remember or have never met, and while there Marcus starts searching for his father, who left their family ten years ago and is somewhere on the island.
Interest Grade Level: 5-6
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
Mr. Worry: A Story About OCD by Holly Niner
Eight-year-old Kevin is frustrated by his need to check things and repeat actions over and over until a counselor diagnoses obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and teaches him ways to manage this condition. Includes a note for parents and teachers explaining OCD.
Interest Grade Level: PreK-3
COE Library | Amazon
One-Handed Catch by Mary Jane Auch
After losing his hand in an accident in his father's butcher shop in 1946, sixth-grader Norman uses hard work and humor to learn to live with his disability and to succeed at baseball, art, and other activities.
Interest Grade Level: 4-7
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
Considered by many to be mentally retarded, a brilliant, impatient fifth-grader with cerebral palsy discovers a technological device that will allow her to speak for the first time.
Interest Grade Level: 5-8
COE Library | MackinVia | RR Library | Amazon
Rescue & Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship by Jessica Kensky
Rescue the dog is at first disappointed when he receives the news he is to become a service dog. He had thought he would be a Seeing Eye dog, but when he meets Jessica, a girl whose life turned out very differently than she thought it would, too, Rescue realizes he can still make a valuable contribution.
Interest Grade Level: 1-3
MackinVia | RR Library | Amazon
Roll With It by Jamie Sumner
Twelve-year-old Ellie, who has cerebral palsy, finds her life transformed when she moves with her mother to small-town Oklahoma to help care for her grandfather, who has Alzheimer's Disease.
Interest Grade Level: 5-6
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
Rules by Cynthia Lord
Frustrated at life with an autistic brother, twelve-year-old Catherine longs for a normal existence but her world is further complicated by a friendship with an young paraplegic.
Interest Grade Level: 4-7
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
Save Me a Seat by Sara Weeks
Young Joe and Ravi think they have nothing in common. Joe has lived in the same little town his whole life, but recently his best friends moved away, leaving him alone. Ravi and his family just moved there from India, and he just wants to fit in. When the two boys run afoul of the same bully, they discover they do have something in common after all, and scheme together to take control of their lives.
Interest Grade Level: 3-6
MackinVia | RR Library | Amazon
Sidetracked by Diana Harmon Asher
Joseph Friedman has attention deficit disorder and spends most of his time avoiding the school bully and hiding in the Resource Room. On the first day of seventh grade, however, everything changes: his Resource Room teacher forces him to join the school track team and he meets Heather, a runner who doesn't let herself be pushed around.
Interest Grade Level: 4-7
MackinVia | RR Library | Amazon
Singing Hands by Delia Ray
In the late 1940s, twelve-year-old Gussie learns about integrity while helping at the Alabama School for the Deaf--her punishment for misdeeds against her deaf parents and their boarders.
Interest Grade Level: 4-7
COE Library | Amazon
Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille by Jennifer Bryant
Picture-book biography of Louis Braille, inventor of an alphabet system for the blind. Includes a pronunciation guide and a diagram of the Braille alphabet.
Interest Grade Level: 1-4
COE Library | MackinVia | RR Library | Amazon
Skateboard Sonar by Eric Stevens
When blind skateboarder Matty Lyons is bullied during the state's biggest skating competition by a former champion, Matty must keep his cool and let his moves speak for him.
Interest Grade Level: 3-8
COE Library | Amazon
Some Kids Have Autism: Understanding Differences by Martha Rustad
Examines the characteristics of autistic children and how they differ from others.
Interest Grade Level: PreK-2
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
Some Kids Use Wheelchairs by Lola Schaefer
Understanding Differences
Interest Grade Level: PreK-2
COE Library | MackinVia | Amazon
Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly
Twelve-year-old Iris and her grandmother, both deaf, drive from Texas to Alaska armed with Iris's plan to help Blue-55, a whale unable to communicate with other whales.
Interest Grade Level: 4-6
COE Library | MackinVia | RR Library | Amazon
Stand Straight, Ella Kate: The True Story of a Real Giant by Kate Klise
A fictionalized account of Ella Kate Ewing, born in 1872, who was eight feet tall by the age of 17.
Interest Grade Level: 1-3
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
At first, Trisha loves school, but her difficulty learning to read makes her feel dumb, until, in the fifth grade, a new teacher helps her understand and overcome her problem.
Interest Grade Level: K-3
COE Library | Amazon
The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin
Raised black line drawings on black pages encourage people to use their other senses to experience art, helping them understand what it is like to be blind.
Interest Grade Level: K-5
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson
Emotionally crippled by his obsessive-compulsive disorder, teenager Matthew Corbin rarely leaves his room on a cul-de-sac in London, and he passes the day observing and writing down his neighbors doings from his window, but when a toddler staying next door disappears Matt is the key to solving a mystery and possibly saving a child's life, if he can manage to expose himself, and his secret guilt to the outside world.
Interest Grade Level: 3-7
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
The Junkyard Wonders by Patricia Polacco
Inspired by a teacher who believes each of them is a genius, a class of special-needs students invents something that could convince the whole school they are justifiably proud to be "Junkyard Wonders."
Interest Grade Level: 1-4
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
The Meaning of Maggie by Megan Sovern
Eleven-year-old Maggie Mayfield is an A-plus student with big plans for herself, but at this moment she is also facing a lot of problems--like starting middle school and figuring out how to help her father who is out of work and in a wheelchair.
Interest Grade Level: 4-6
MackinVia | RR Library | Amazon
The Thing About Georgie: A Novel by Lisa Graff
Georgie's dwarfism causes problems, but he could always rely on his parents, his best friend, and classmate Jeanie the Meanie's teasing, until a surprising announcement, a new boy in school, and a class project shake things up.
Interest Grade Level: 3-7
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor
Mason Buttle is the biggest, sweatiest kid in his grade and can barely read or write. Fifteen months ago, Mason's best friend, Benny, was found dead in the Buttle family orchard and as the investigation drags on, Mason can't understand why the police won't believe his story about what happened. When Mason and his new friend Calvin make an underground club space in order to escape the neighborhood bullies, Mason finds himself in even more trouble and becomes desperate to figure out what happened to Calvin and Benny.
Interest Grade Level: 4-7
COE Library | MackinVia | RR Library | Amazon
The View From Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
Four students, with their own individual stories, develop a special bond and attract the attention of their teacher, a paraplegic, who chooses them to represent their sixth-grade class in the Academic Bowl competition.
Interest Grade Level: 4-6
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
A young disabled girl and her brother are evacuated from London to the English countryside during World War II, where they find life to be much sweeter away from their abusive mother.
Interest Grade Level: 4-7
COE Library | MackinVia | RR Library | Amazon
The William Hoy Story: How a Deaf Baseball Player Changed the Game by Nancy Churnin
A picture book that depicts the life of deaf baseball player William Hoy.
Interest Grade Level: K-2
COE Library | MackinVia | RR Library | Amazon
To the Stars by Gina Bellisario
Stella dons her superhero cape and joins her dad, whose wheelchair does not limit his imagination, on an interstellar journey to discover what stars are.
Interest Grade Level: K-2
MackinVia | Amazon
Two Minute Drill: A Comeback Kids Novel by Mike Lupica
Brainy Scott, a great kicker who otherwise struggles with football, and star quarterback Chris, who has dyslexia, team up to help each other succeed in both football and school.
Interest Grade Level: 3-6
COE Library | MackinVia | RR Library | Amazon
We'll Paint the Octopus Red by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen
Emma and her father discuss what they will do when the new baby arrives, but they adjust their expectations when he is born with Down syndrome.
Interest Grade Level: K-2
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
Who is Temple Grandin? by Patricia Demuth
Temple Grandin wasn't officially diagnosed with autism until she was in her 40s, but she knew at an early age that she was different from her family and classmates. She couldn't show affection, she acted out when noises or other stimuli overwhelmed her, and she only felt comfortable when spending time with the animals on her aunt's ranch. But instead of seeing her differences as limitations, Temple used them to guide her education and career in animal science. She has become a leading advocate for the autistic as well as for the humane treatment of animals at meat packing companies.
Interest Grade Level: 3-7
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
Willowood by Cecilia Galante
Eleven-year-old Lily has trouble leaving her best friend behind and moving to the city when her mother changes jobs, but she makes some very unlikely friends that soon become like family members.
Interest Grade Level: 4-8
COE Library | RR Library | Amazon
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunting and fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.
Interest Grade Level: 4-6
COE Library | MackinVia | RR Library | Amazon