Children's Book Suggestions | Disability Pride Month 2026Unpublished

A few of our favorite books about kids with disabilities, including learning disabilities and neurodivergence, published in 2025. For more book ideas, check out our Disability Pride Month 2025 and 2024 lists (picture books and chapter books), our Autism Awareness Month and Mental Health Awareness Month book lists, or browse the library catalog.

More great books are honored annually with the Schneider Family Book Award.

Updated January 30, 2026

LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County) Oregon City Public Library

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Children's Book Suggestions | Disability Pride Month 2026

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Mama car

Catchpole, Lucy

From author and disabled parent Lucy Catchpole, this gentle and accessible picture book celebrates a wonderful part of one child's life: her mother's wheelchair. I have a tricycle. Daddy has a big car. And Mama has a Mama Car. ...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Wish in a tree

Hunt, Lynda Mullaly

Paper Book

An uplifting picture book celebrating neurodiversity, starring characters from Lynda Mullaly Hunt's New York Times bestselling novel Fish in a Tree Oliver's brain is a volcano of ideas--always bubbling with questions. This makes it hard to focus at school, and...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

I hear the snow, I feel the sea

Milusich, Janice

In this lyrical picture book illustrated by a two-time Caldecott Medalist, share in a blind child's joyful experience of the changing seasons. A SCHNEIDER FAMILY BOOK AWARD HONOR Where I live, seasons change. I know because my fingers and toes, my ears, my...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

This is how we talk : a celebration of disability and connection

Slice, Jessica

Paper Book

From the creators of This Is How We Play is a new jubilant, inclusive, luminously illustrated picture book that celebrates all the ways we communicate with each other. A NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR We sign, write, clap! We tap, stim,...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

We are the scrappy ones

Taussig, Rebekah

Paper Book

We are the scrappy ones. / We live, we adapt, we defy. / Made of stardust and grit, we are spectacular. Children with disabilities experience the world in all kinds of ways. Yet one thing they share is navigating a world that doesn't always make space for them as they are. Existing on the...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Bitsy Bat, team star

Windness, Kaz

Paper Book

Bitsy meets a new nonspeaking student who uses an AAC device and sign language at school and learns the importance of being a star teammate in this sequel to Bitsy Bat, School Star from Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor-winning author-illustrator Kaz Windness. Bitsy...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Henry's picture-perfect day

Bailey, Jenn

Paper Book

The third chapter book in the award-winning Henry series, starring a sweet and sensitive child on the autism spectrum, is a story about embracing life's messier moments and one's own uniqueness. It is Picture Day for Classroom Ten! Mrs. Tanaka says that the...

Early Reader (Grades K-2)

The emerald egg

Whaley, Kayla

Paper Book

Solve Animal Mysteries from A to Z! Inspired by Ron Roy's A to Z Mysteries series, this exciting animal adventure mystery is perfect for budding young chapter book readers. This time, 8-year-old Abbi and her friends solve the mystery of missing emu egg! E IS FOR EMU EGG . . .

Bridging Fiction (Grades 2-4)

Find that ferret!

Whaley, Kayla

Bridging Fiction (Grades 2-4)

Bat and the business of ferrets

Arnold, Elana K.

Paper Book

The bestselling Bat returns! Bat and the Business of Ferrets is the fourth title in National Book Award finalist Elana K. Arnold's heartfelt and widely acclaimed series featuring an unforgettable young boy on the autism spectrum. Bixby Alexander Tam (nicknamed "Bat") is...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

The Unlikely Heroes Club

Foster, Kate

Paper Book

"This well-designed, empowering tale invites middle grade readers into the perspective of one autistic youth and will appeal to individuals, classrooms, and book clubs alike." --School Library Journal (starred review) Five dog-loving autistic kids have a mission to...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Benny on the case

King, Wesley

Paper Book

Two starred reviews! A New York Public Library Best Kids Book of 2025 A School Library Journal Best Middle Grade Book of 2025 A boy with Mosaic Down syndrome navigates entering a mainstream classroom, making new friends, and standing up to...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Vanya and the Wild Hunt

Mandanna, Sangu

Paper Book

*Winner of the Good Housekeeping Kids' Book Awards* *A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year* From the bestselling author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches comes an action-packed, enchanting middle grade fantasy about a...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

The bionic boy

Plourde, Lynn

The moving story of a superhero-loving boy born without hands who finds the hero inside himself Benji feels like he's had more than his fair share of good luck-so it's frustrating that his disability tends to make people think the opposite. Adopted from an overseas orphanage when...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Mixed-up

Garcia, Kami

Paper Book

New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia has returned with a middle grade graphic novel about the struggles of a game-loving girl who gets diagnosed with dyslexia and her loving support network that help her along in the journey. Stella knows fifth grade will be...

Children's Graphic Novel (Grades 3-5)

Hazel has her hands full

Fairbairn, Nathan

Paper Book

More heartwarming and humorous adventures await in the fourth book of this graphic novel series that is the Baby-Sitters Club for pets! Summer break is just around the corner, and the PAWS team is gearing up for a busy season full of dog-walking,...

Children's Graphic Novel (Grades 3-5)

The beat I drum

Bowling, Dusti

Paper Book

"This story was everything I wanted it to be. Heartfelt, thoughtful, and most of all . . . full of hope. I loved it!" --Lindsay Currie, New York Times bestselling author of The Mystery of Locked Rooms Connor, beloved best friend of Aven Green...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

The girl in the walls

Kuyatt, Meg Eden

Paper Book

There's a ghost in the walls, and V must decide if it is an ally or an enemy. The wrong decision could destroy her and her family. From Schneider Honor Award winning author Meg Eden Kuyatt comes a chilling and insightful novel-in-verse. After a hard school year, V has...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

A glimmer of change

McNicoll, Elle

Thirteen-year-old Keedie Darrow is used to bullies. Growing up neurodivergent makes you an easy target. But when her friends fall victim, Keedie launches an anti-bullying agency--and business is booming. A moving and inclusive prequel to the award-winning novel A Kind of Spark. ...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

The extraordinary orbit of Alex Ramirez

Paulino, Jasminne

A powerful debut novel in verse about a neurodivergent seventh grader who dreams of traveling to the stars one day. A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year "This story is about a boy who is certain of his own magic in the midst of the doubtful adults...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Please pay attention

Sumner, Jamie

Paper Book

Three starred reviews! A girl with cerebral palsy navigates loss, grief, and the aftermath of trauma following a school shooting in a world that wasn't built for her in this "intimate, lyrical" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) novel in verse from Jamie Sumner, the...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Rolling on

Sumner, Jamie

Paper Book

In this "equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming" (Kirkus Reviews) companion to Jamie Sumner's acclaimed and beloved novels Roll with It and Time to Roll, Ellie finds herself faced with first love and learning to let go. It's the very end of eighth grade...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Vote for the G.O.A.T.

Terese, Ali

From the author of National Book Award-longlisted Free Period comes a new hijinks-fueled comedy about finding your voice, perfect for fans of Carrie Firestone and Lisa Yee! Sporty Meg and fashionista Jo don't have much in common besides being seventh graders at Somerset...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Bad Cheerleader

Thayer, Alex

A dyslexic bookworm joins her school's cheerleading squad to investigate her sister's strange behavior in this insightful and sharp middle grade novel about the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood. Seventh grader Bag loves to read. It doesn't come easy to her, thanks to her dyslexia,...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Absolutely everything

Alexander, Damian (Cartoonist)

Lately, life feels like a lot for Marcella. Sixth grade seems complicated on purpose. Marcella keeps forgetting her homework or getting distracted while she's doing it. Plus, her bestie has new friends, and her parents even want to move apartments. She's trying to keep track of the changes...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Fooled

Haas, Susan

In this fresh, funny, and fast-paced story, chaos ensues when a down-on-its-luck middle school comes to believe that fake magic is the real deal! Magic loving, wheelchair user Lil Evers wishes she could start sixth grade at a real...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

At the Speed of Gus

Scrimger, Richard

Paper Book

A smartly funny and sympathetic story about being different and understanding that there is more than one way to see the world.This new novel from middle grade master Richard Scrimger will reach so many kids who need to see that their brains are a gift. Augustus (Gus) Constantine's brain...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Very bad at math

Larson, Hope

Paper Book

From New York Times bestselling and Eisner Award-winning author Hope Larson comes a middle grade graphic novel full of hijinks, unexpected friendships, and pizza, perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Kayla Miller. Verity "Very" Nelson can do it all. She's student...

Young Teen Graphic Novel (Grades 5-7)

Whale eyes : a memoir about seeing and being seen

Robinson, James (Filmmaker)

Paper Book

★ 5 STARRED REVIEWS ★ ★ "Lively, interactive...truly eye-opening." -Booklist ★ "A sincere reflection on childhood...growing up in a world not built with him in mind." -Publishers Weekly ★ "A...

Young Teen Graphic Novel (Grades 5-7)

T.S. Hullabaloo: A Graphic Novel Based on a (Mostly) True Story

Rosenberg, Zack

A mysterious creature called a Hullabaloo has attached itself to a sixth grader named Jack in this beautifully illustrated and humorous graphic novel that celebrates our differences and life's changes. Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Disney*Pixar's Inside Out. ...

Young Teen Graphic Novel (Grades 5-7)

Wanda hears the stars : a blind astronomer listens to the universe

Hansen, Amy

A nonfiction picture book biography of astrophysicist Wanda Diaz Merced and how losing her sight didn't stop her from studying the stars. An inspiring true story of a woman scientist of color that's a riveting intersectional read for STEM fans ages 6-9. Growing up in...

Children's Nonfiction (Age 4-8)

Down syndrome out loud : 20+ true stories of disability and determination

Hart, Melissa

Paper Book

"In a society that often overlooks those with intellectual and developmental disabilities...this book will inspire readers to befriend and champion people with Down syndrome." - JACQUELINE JODL, Special Olympics International In this illustrated biography collection, meet over...

Children's Nonfiction (Age 9-12)

Rewriting the rules : how Dr. Kathleen Friel created new possibilities for brain research and disability

Zeiger, Danna

When Kathleen Friel was young, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and a doctor told her parents all the things she'd never be able to do. They left his office for good and found a new doctor. As Kathleen grew up, she found her own methods to tackle tricky tasks and make her way...

Children's Nonfiction (Age 4-8)

All you can be with ADHD

Holderness, Penn

An INSTANT New York Times Bestseller and USA TODAY Bestseller! From the New York Times bestselling authors of ADHD Is Awesome comes an empowering and joyful picture book that invites young readers to join the ADHD...

Parenting Book (Age 4-8)

Maybe just ask me!

Mazeika, Katie

Paper Book

Based on the author's own childhood experience, this clever and heartfelt picture book follows a young girl who wants to bring discussion of her disability into the open, exploring themes of acknowledging and celebrating differences. Mazie wears an eyepatch and a head scarf, and...

Parenting Book (Age 4-8)

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