Books For/About Children with Disabilities
Listed in these boxes are books available in the Juvenile Collection, part of the Dr. Lora L. Tyson Education Curriculum Resource Center at Oesterle Library. By clicking on the title of the book, you can view the record for the item in the library's catalog and see whether or not the book is currently available.
The books have been catagorized into three levels. However, keep in mind that, depending on your students, some of the books (particularly the picture books) may be appropriate to use with students at other levels as well.
Pre K-Early Elementary
Can you hear a rainbow? : the story of a deaf boy named Chris - Jamee Riggio Heelan
Call Number: j. 362.42 H36c
A deaf child tells how he uses sign language, hearing aids, and his other senses to communicate, how his friends help him, and how he goes to public school with an interpreter.
Cory stories : a kid’s book about living with ADHD - Jeanne Kraus
Call Number: j. K867c
A young boy named Corey explains what it feels like to have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and how his parents and his doctor have helped him learn to adjust to it. In short statements and vignettes, Cory describes what it’s like to have ADHD: how it affects his relationships with friends and family, his school performance, and his overall functioning. He also describes the many ways available to kids for coping with ADHD, including medication, therapy/counseling, and practical activities for school, home, and friendships.
Don’t call me special : a first look at disability - Pat Thomas
Call Number: j. T366d
This delightful picture book explores questions and concerns about disability in a simple and reassuring way. Younger children can find out what a disability is, and learn how people deal with their disabilities to live happy and full lives. Written by psychotherapist and counselor Pat Thomas. These superb information books promote interaction among children, parents, and teachers on personal, social, and emotional issues.
Happy birthday, Grampie - Susan Pearson
Call Number: j. P318h
Martha gives her beloved grandfather, now living in a home for the aged, a birthday gift to remember.
Help is on the way : a child’s book about ADD - Marc A. Nemiroff and Jane Annunziata
Call Number: j. 618.928589 N34h
Explains the effects of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and how it can be handled.
Hooway for Wodney Wat - Helen Lester
Call Number: j. L567h
All his classmates make fun of Rodney because he can’t pronounce his name, but it is Rodney’s speech impediment that drives away the class bully.
I am utterly unique : celebrating the strengths of children with asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism - Elaine Marie Larson
Call Number: j. L32i
An alphabetical enumeration of individual traits that make children--and others--unique features talents and abilities from the autism spectrum.
I can’t stop! : a story about Tourette Syndrome - Holly L. Niner
Call Number: j. N62i
A boy is diagnosed with Tourette syndrome and learns about constructive ways he can manage his condition. Includes nonfiction information from a physician.
I have asthma - Jennifer Moore-Mallinos
Call Number: j. M78ih
After a young boy has trouble breathing during soccer practice, he is taken to his doctor who says that he has asthma, but he learns that with proper treatment and medical supervision, his asthma can be kept under control.
Ian’s walk : a story about autism - Laurie Lears
Call Number: j. L479i
A young girl realizes how much she cares for her autistic brother Ian when he gets lost at the park. When her autistic little brother, Ian, wanders off while on a walk to the park, Julie must try to see the world through his eyes in order to find him.
It’s called dyslexia - Jennifer Moore-Mallinos
Call Number: j. M78i
The child in this story knows the alphabet, but she sometimes has trouble putting all the letters together to read words. No matter how hard she tries, she often mixes up the letters or writes them backwards. She's unhappy until her teacher explains that she has dyslexia, and that she can be helped to read and write correctly.
Josh’s smiley faces : a story about anger - Gina Ditta-Donahue
Call Number: j. D636j
With the help of smiley-face charts, Josh learns to express his anger appropriately.
Leo the late bloomer - Robert Kraus
Call Number: j. K86l
Leo, a young tiger, finally blooms under the anxious eyes of his parents.
Melvin might? - Jon Scieszka
Call Number: j. Sci2m
Melvin, a cautious cement mixer, worries that he can’t keep up with the other trucks, but when Rescue Rita needs to be rescued, he overcomes his worries and fears in order to help her.
Mr. Worry : a story about OCD - Holly L. Niner
Call Number: j. N62m
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.
Ms. McCaw learns to draw - Kaethe Zemach
Call Number: j. Z41m
Dudley Ellington struggles to learn anything at school, but when his very patient teacher, Mrs. McGraw, is unable to draw a face on the board, he helps her figure out how to do it.
Nobody’s perfect : a story for children about perfectionism - Ellen Flanagan Burns
Call Number: j. B937n
Sally overcomes her perfectionism when her teachers and mother help her realize that making mistakes is a part of learning, and that doing her best is good enough.
Otto learns about his medicine : a story about medication for children with ADHD - Matthew Galvin
Call Number: j. G139o 3 ed
Otto, a fidgety young car that has trouble paying attention in school, visits a special mechanic who prescribes a medicine to control his hyperactive behavior.
Shelley, the hyperactive turtle - Deborah M. Moss
Call Number: j. M854s
After getting into trouble by not paying attention, Shelley the turtle is diagnosed with AD/HD and his behavior improves.
Silent lotus - Jeanne M. Lee
Call Number: j. L513s
Although she cannot speak or hear, Lotus trains as a Khmer court dancer and becomes eloquent in dancing out the legends of the gods.
Secret signs : along the underground railroad - Anita Riggio
Call Number: j. R449s
When the barn used for hiding runaway slaves burns to the ground, Luke, who is deaf, finds a unique way to pass along information about the next safe haven.
Stand tall, Molly Lou Melon - written by Patty Lovell
Call Number: j. L943s
Even when the class bully at her new school makes fun of her, Molly remembers what her grandmother told her and she feels good about herself.
A terrible thing happened - Margaret M. Holmes
Call Number: j. H736t
After Sherman sees something terrible happen, he becomes anxious and then angry, but when a counselor helps him talk about these emotions he feels better.
Thank you, Mr. Falker - Patricia Polacco
Call Number: j. P75t
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.
Waiting for Benjamin : a story about autism - Alexandra Jessup Altman
Call Number: j. Al7w
Alexander experiences feelings of disappointment, anger, embarrassment, and jealousy when his younger brother is diagnosed with autism.
Wemberly worried - Kevin Henkes
Call Number: j. H38we
A mouse named Wemberly, who worries about everything, finds that she has a whole list of things to worry about when she faces the first day of nursery school.
What’s wrong with Timmy? - Maria Shriver
Call Number: j. Sh8w
Making friends with a mentally retarded boy helps Kate learn that the two of them have a lot in common.
When I feel angry - written by Cornelia Maude Spelman
Call Number: j. Sp32w
A little rabbit describes what makes her angry and the different ways she can control her anger.
When my worries get too big! : a relaxation book for children who live with anxiety - written and illustrated by Kari Dunn Buron
Call Number: j. B936w
Presents ways for young children with anxiety to recognize when they are losing control and constructive ways to deal with it.
When Sophie gets angry--really, really angry... - Molly Bang
Call Number: j. B22w
A young girl is upset and doesn’t know how to manage her anger but takes the time to cool off and regain her composure.
Upper Elementary-Early Middle School
A is for autism, f is for friend : a kid’s book on making friends with a child who has autism - Joanna L. Keating-Velasco
Call Number: j. K223a
Eleven-year-old Chelsea explains what autism is, what it is like to live with autism, and how to make friends with an autistic child.
All cats have Asperger Syndrome - Kathy Hoopmann
Call Number: j. H766a
The cay - Theodore Taylor
Call Number: j. T218c
When the freighter on which they are traveling is torpedoed by a German submarine during World War II, an adolescent white boy, blinded by a blow on the head, and an old black man are stranded on a tiny Caribbean island where the boy acquires a new kind of vision, courage, and love from his old companion.
Joey Pigza swallowed the key - Jack Gantos
Call Number: j. G158j
To the constant disappointment of his mother and his teachers, Joey has trouble paying attention or controlling his mood swings when his prescription medications wear off and he starts getting worked up and acting wired.
Learning to slow down and pay attention : a book for kids about ADHD - Kathleen G. Nadeau and Ellen B. Dixon
Call Number: j. 618.928589 N12l 3 ed
Packed with practical tips, know-how, and fun, this friendly workbook just for kids has solutions for every situation -- at home, at school, and with friends.
The life of me : enter at your own risk - Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Call Number: j. W729h
Hank must decide whether to attend tae kwon do or an after school reading program run by his favorite teacher, and when he meets an interesting girl at "Reading Gym," he gets into a complicated situation that even has him lying to his father.
The night I flunked my field trip - Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Call Number: j. W729n
Fourth-grader Hank, while on a field trip aboard "The Pilgrim Spirit," tries to learn knot tying in his own unique way, which causes unforeseen problems.
Nothing’s fair in fifth grade - Barthe DeClements
Call Number: j. D35n
Initially repelled by an overweight new student who has serious home problems, the fifth grade class finally learns to accept her.
Putting on the brakes : understanding and taking control of your ADD or ADHD - Patricia O. Quinn and Judith M. Stern
Call Number: j. 618.928589 Q4p
Rules - Cynthia Lord
Call Number: j. L884r
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 a young paraplegic.
Timothy of the cay - Theodore Taylor
Call Number: j. T218t
Having survived being blinded and shipwrecked on a tiny Caribbean island with the old black man Timothy, twelve-year-old white Phillip is rescued and hopes to regain his sight with an operation. Alternate chapters follow the life of Timothy from his days as a young cabin boy.
The view from Saturday - E.L. Konigsburg
Call Number: j. K83v
Four students, with their own individual stories, develop a special bond and attract the attention of their teacher, a paraplegic, who choses them to represent their sixth-grade class in the Academic Bowl competition.
Yolonda’s genius - Carol Fenner
Call Number: j. F36y
After moving from Chicago to Grand River, Michigan, fifth grader Yolonda, big and strong for her age, determines to prove that her younger brother is not a slow learner but a true musical genius.
Zipper, the kid with ADHD - written by Caroline Janover
Call Number: j. J26z
Zach, a fifth-grader who has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, has trouble concentrating and controlling himself until a retired jazz musician who believes in him gives him the motivation to start trying to do better.
Middle School-High School
The Alfred summer - Jan Slepian
Call Number: j. Sl2a
Four preteen outcasts, two of them handicapped, learn lessons in courage and perseverance when they join forces to build a boat.
Chelsey and the green-haired kid - Carol Gorman
Call Number: j. G68c
Convinced that the fatal accident she witnessed at the basketball game was not accidental, thirteen-year-old Chelsey, a paraplegic, and her unusual friend Jack join forces to prove it was a deliberate murder.
The door in the wall. - Marguerite De Angeli
Call Number: j. D34d
A crippled boy in fourteenth-century England proves his courage and earns recognition from the King.
Freak the Mighty - Rodman Philbrick
Call Number: j. P53f
At the beginning of eighth grade, learning disabled Max and his new friend Freak, whose birth defect has affected his body but not his brilliant mind, find that when they combine forces they make a powerful team.
Gifted - Beth Evangelista
Call Number: j. Ev1g
Arrogant, mentally gifted George Clark has dreaded the eighth-grade class camping trip and its inevitable bullying, but a hurricane and a friend’s loyalty make him realize what is important in life.
Izzy, willy-nilly - Cynthia Voigt
Call Number: j. V87i
A car accident causes fifteen-year-old Izzy to lose one leg and face the need to start building a new life as an amputee.
The moves make the man : a novel - Bruce Brooks
Call Number: j. B791m
A Black boy and an emotionally troubled white boy in North Carolina form a precarious friendship.
The summer of the swans - Betsy Byars
Call Number: j. B99s
A teen-age girl gains new insight into herself and her family when her mentally handicapped brother gets lost.
Tangerine - Edward Bloor
Call Number: j. B622t
Twelve-year-old Paul, who lives in the shadow of his football hero brother Erik, fights for the right to play soccer despite his near blindness and slowly begins to remember the incident that damaged his eyesight.
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