By sharing stories together and having conversations about the books you read, you can help young children understand the world around them. Seeing diverse experiences represented in books helps children to explore their own identities and develop empathy for others.
From physical and developmental disabilities to vision and hearing impairments, disability encompasses a broad spectrum, and children with and without disabilities may have questions. The following books positively portray a range of disabilities, enabling children with disabilities to see themselves and introducing children of all abilities to people who experience the world in a variety of interesting ways.
Not every book is available at all locations, but any title can be requested. The children’s librarian at your neighborhood library is also here to help, with suggestions for additional titles on topics of interest–or feel free to suggest some titles to us. New books are always being added to the collection. You can find more Here to Help booklists on different topics by clicking here.
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. You can also check out this title as eAudio on Hoopla.
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. You can also check out this title as eBook on OverDrive/Libby or as eBook on Hoopla.
A student who uses a wheelchair finds a way to see her dog each day in school.
Photographs of young children with Down syndrome enjoying a wide selection of healthful foods, from fruits and veggies to meats and snacks.
A young girl with a visual impairment explores her city with her father, taking in all its sensory details. This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on Libby and as an eBook on Hoopla.
Zulay is a blind girl who longs to be able to run in the race on field and track day at her school.
Oona the mermaid is friends with everyone, but when her attempts to befriend a shark with sensory issues fail miserably she realizes what may be fun for her may be overwhelming for him.
Young Aria returns to school after recovering from an accident and being fitted with a prosthetic leg, but the school has no furniture and sitting on the floor is too painful. She finds a way to build her own bench, surprising and inspiring her classmates.
A young girl, filled with the sounds of her beloved city, shares a song with her grandmother that changes the two forever. After helping Grandma realize that the city makes music as beautiful as the sounds they hear in church on Sunday morning, the two sit down and take in all the sounds of the city…together.
Joe, a young boy trying to play pirates at the playground, keeps getting interrupted with questions about what happened to his leg, and gets more and more fed up until the kids finally understand they don’t need to know what happened.