Children's Book Suggestions | Disability Pride Month Picture Books

A diverse selection of picture books celebrating a variety of disabilities, including neurodivergence.

Looking for more children's books about the disability experience? Try our Disability Pride Month Chapter Books list for readers in Grades 2-7 and the American Library Association's Schneider Family Book Award winners & honor books.

Updated May 17, 2024
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County)Oregon City Public Library
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Can bears ski?
Antrobus, Raymond
Paper Book
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. Little Bear feels the world around him. He feels his bed...

A small bear who has trouble hearing the world around him until he visits an audiologist, who fits him with hearing aids. (Picture Book Age 3-7)

What happened to you?
Catchpole, James
Paper Book
The first ever picture book addressing how a disabled child might want to be spoken to. What happened to you? Was it a shark? A burglar? A lion? Did it fall off? Every time Joe goes out the questions are the same . . . what...

An award-winning story from English author James Catchpole, who uses gentle humor to navigate an all-too-common question asked of people with visible disabilities. (Picture Book Age 4-8)

Listen : how Evelyn Glennie, a deaf girl, changed percussion
Stocker, Shannon
Paper Book
* Schneider Family Book Award Winner * A gorgeous and empowering picture book biography about Evelyn Glennie, a deaf woman, who became the first full-time solo percussionist in the world. "No. You can't," people said. But Evelyn knew she could. She...

Deaf percussionist Evelyn Glennie used her bare feet to feel the sounds of the orchestra around her and changed the musical world for D/deaf and hard of musicians everywhere. (Children's Nonfiction Age 4-8)

A day with no words
Hammond, Tiffany
Paper Book
An instant #1 New York Times bestselling picture book and Dolly Gray Award winner! A Day With No Words invites readers into the life of an Autism Family who communicates just as the child does, without spoken language. The American Library Association Booklist...

A day of ups and downs in the life of a nonverbal boy, showing all of the ways he communicates with friends, family, and his community. (Picture Book Age 4-8)

A walk in the words
Talbott, Hudson
Paper Book
Winner of a Schneider Family Honor! "A beautifully rendered and deeply inspiring book for everyone who has ever read slowly-myself included! Hudson shows us the beauty and magic that can come from taking our time. Brilliant."-Jacqueline Woodson Hudson Talbott's...

A neurodivergent author shares a story inspired by his childhood struggles with reading as a nontraditional learner. (Picture Book Age 4-8)

Out into the big wide lake
Harbridge, Paul
Paper Book
An empowering and necessary picture book about a young girl with Down syndrome who gains confidence and independence through a visit to her grandparents.

A trip to her grandparents' lakeside store helps a girl with Down syndrome develop the skills and confidence to step in when her grandfather is unable to make his usual deliveries by boat. (Picture Book Age 4-8)

Rescue & Jessica : a life-changing friendship
Kensky, Jessica
Paper Book
A 2019 Schneider Family Book Award Winner Based on a real-life partnership, the heartening story of the love and teamwork between a girl and her service dog will illuminate and inspire. Rescue thought he'd grow up to be a Seeing Eye dog -- it's the family business,...

Inspired by the true story of Jessica's dog Rescue, who trained to be a service dog and joined her family after Jessica and her husband were injured in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. (Picture Book Age 5-9)

Best day ever!
Singer, Marilyn
Paper Book
A sweet dog-loves-kid/kid-loves-dog story, in which the kid uses a wheelchair, from an award-winning children's poet and talented debut illustrator. This playful puppy thinks she's having the best day ever! She's so happy to be out with her friend, she doesn...

Despite some setbacks, a puppy and her boy enjoy a day of playing and exploring together. (Picture Book Age 4-7)

Leo and the octopus
Marinov, Isabelle
Paper Book
A striking, supportive text by Isabelle Marinov and humorous illustrations by Chris Nixon bring these lovable characters, and this important story about navigating the world to life. The story will strike a chord with children on the spectrum, as well as educate other children about the condition in...

An encounter with Maya the octopus helps a young boy with sensory sensitivities feel less alone in a sometimes-overwhelming world. (Picture Book Age 4-8)

Every body : a celebration of diverse abilities
Rotner, Shelley
Paper Book
Join this photographic celebration of differing physical and neurological abilities from a National Geographic photographer. We have different ways to move around. Celebrating children of different abilities, this photographic book presents large, clear images of...
Vibrant photos show kids with all sorts of visible and invisible differences playing and learning together, celebrating the many ways our different bodies experience the world. (Picture Book Age 3-6)
I talk like a river
Scott, Jordan
Paper Book
Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Winner What if words got stuck in the back of your mouth whenever you tried to speak? What if they never came out the way you wanted them to? Sometimes it takes a change of perspective to get...

A trip to the river with his father helps a young boy see his stutter in a new way after a bad speech day at school in this story based on a true event from the author's childhood. (Picture Book Age 4-8)

Just ask! : be different, be brave, be you
Sotomayor, Sonia
Paper Book
Justice Sonia Sotomayor and award-winning artist Rafael Lopez create a kind and caring book about the differences that make each of us unique. A #1 New York Times bestseller! Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award! Feeling different,...

Inspired by Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor's experiences as a child with Type 1 diabetes, this book shares the ways people of all abilities contribute to their communities as young Sonia and her friends plant a garden. (Picture Book Age 4-8)

The girl who figured it out
Dentler, Minda
Paper Book
The uplifting true story of Minda Dentler, the first female wheelchair athlete to complete the Ironman World Championship triathlon. Minda Dentler made history when she became the first female wheelchair athlete to complete the world's toughest triathlon, using only her arms to finish a 2...
A wheelchair athlete reflects on the ways her family support, problem-solving skills, and individual determination helped her embrace her love of sports. (Children's Nonfiction Age 5-8)
A life of service : the story of Senator Tammy Duckworth
Soontornvat, Christina
Paper Book
Thai American creators portray the inspirational and barrier-breaking life of Senator Tammy Duckworth in a picture-book tribute to an extraordinary woman. Senator Tammy Duckworth has logged a long list of "firsts" during her tenure as the first Thai American woman elected to...

A biography of disabled veteran and US Senator Tammy Duckworth, one of many books in our biography section highlighting amazing people with disabilities from the past and the present. (Children's Nonfiction Age 6-9)

All the way to the top : how one girl's fight for Americans with disabilities changed everything
Pimentel, Annette Bay
Paper Book
2021 Schneider Family Book Award Young Children's Honor Book (American Library Association) Experience the true story of lifelong activist Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins and her participation in the Capitol Crawl in this inspiring autobiographical picture book. This beautifully illustrated...

The Capitol Crawl was a little-known pivotal moment in the fight for the passage of the ADA--and elementary school student Jennifer Keelan was part of it! (Children's Nonfiction Age 4-9)

Henry and the something new
Bailey, Jenn
Paper Book
"Relatable characters, familiar scenarios, and gentle humor make this a remarkably satisfying read." --Horn Book Magazine, Starred Review  From the creators of the Schneider Award-winning books A Friend for Henry and...

This early reader series, based on Bailey's award-winning picture book A Friend for Henry, explores the joys and challenges of an elementary school classroom for a kid who appears to be on the autism spectrum. Gentle, empathetic, and never preachy. (Easy Readers Level 4)

Not so different : what you really want to ask about having a disability
Burcaw, Shane
Paper Book
Not So Different offers a humorous, relatable, and refreshingly honest glimpse into Shane Burcaw's life. Shane tackles many of the mundane and quirky questions that he's often asked about living with a disability, and shows readers that he's just as approachable, friendly, and funny as...

Author and YouTuber Shane Burcaw answers some of the common questions kids have about his disability with humor and warmth. This is a favorite with local elementary school teachers and their students as well! (Children's Nonfiction Age 6-9)


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