Children's books addressing disability and self-concept for early elementary students

Children's Books On Development Of Children's Self-Concept, Dealing With Life's Challenges and/or Have Characters With Disabilities

This list has been sorted by the books' readability levels;

AC = Adult Read to Children. Books for Pre-K to Grade 3, ranging from 10 to 30 pages, with illustrations; typically designed for parents to read to their children (Teacher Vision, 2000-2016).

JE = Juvenile Easy Reader. For children who are beginning to read on their own, such as those in Grades 1-2; ranging from 30 to 80 pages; illustrations are included to break up the text (Teacher Vision, 2000-2016).

JF = Juvenile Fiction. Children's fiction or chapter books; for children in Grades 2-6; ranging from 60 to 200 pages, the books are generally divided into chapters, contain fewer illustrations, and have more complicated plots or concepts than either AC or JE books (Teacher Vision, 2000-2016).

Andy and His Yellow Frisbee

Publisher: Woodbine House, 6510 Bells Mill Road, Bethesda, MD 20817; 1996

Disability: Autism

Story Profile: Sarah is a new girl at school who is curious about why Andy spins his yellow Frisbee every day by himself on the playground. When Sara tries to talk to Andy, Rosie, Andy's older sister, watches and worries about how her brother may react. Rosie knows that Andy is in his own world most of the time, and that he has trouble finding the words to express himself.

Reading Level: AC

Danny and the Merry-Go-Round

Publisher: Jason and Nordic, Publishers, PO Box 441, Hollidaysburg, PA 16648; 1987

Disability: Cerebral Palsy

Story Profile: Danny, who has cerebral palsy, visits the park with his mother and watches other children playing on a playground. He makes friends with a young girl after his mother explains cerebral palsy to her and points out that it is not contagious.

Reading Level: AC

Happy Birthday Jason

Publisher: IPI Publishing Ltd., 50 Prince Arthur Avenue, Suite 306, Toronto, Ontario, M5R 1B5 Canada; 1984

Disability: Developmental Delays

Story Profile: Leo is a tiger cub who just can't keep up with what the other animals are doing. He can't read, write, or speak, and he is a sloppy eater; he's a late bloomer.

Reading Level: AC

A Smile from Andy

Publisher: Jason and Nordic Publishers, PO Box 441, Hollidaysburg, PA 16648; 1989

Disability: Cerebral Palsy

Story Profile: Andy, who has cerebral palsy, is very shy. One day he meets a girl who helps him discover something that he can do to reach out to others in his own special way.

Reading Level: JE

Fair and Square

Publisher: Jason and Nordic Publishers, PO Box 441, Hollidaysburg, PA 16648; 1992

Disability: Physical Disabilities

Story Profile: Kevin is confined to a wheelchair and has limited motor skills. A therapist introduces him to a computer game he can play and win, and shows him how to adapt other games for his use.

Reading Level: JE

I'm Like You, You're Like Me: A Child's Book about Understanding and Celebrating Each Other

Publisher: Free Spirit Publishing, Inc., 400 First Avenue North, Suite 616,

Minneapolis, MN 55401-1724; 1998

Disability: General Disabilities

Story Profile: Children interact with people who are different from themselves; share, take turns, work and play together; discover and develop traits and skills that make them unique; and explore the many ways in which they are like and unlike others.

Reading Level: JE

Arlene On the Scene

Author: Carol Liu and Marybeth Sidoti Caldarone

Publisher: Emerald Book Company, PO Box *** , Austin, TX 78709; September 1, 2010

Disability: Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (CMT Disease)

Story Profile: A hopeful story about Arlene, a spirited fourth grader, who is determined not to allow her classmates to label her because of a congenital disability called Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

Reading Level: JF

How Dyslexic Benny Became a Star: A Story of Hope for Dyslexic Children and Their Parents

Publisher: Yorktown Press, PO Box *** , Dallas, TX 75379-5667; 1998

Disability: Dyslexia

Story Profile: Benny, who has dyslexia, struggles while his fifth-grade classmates' skills improve. He is suddenly terrified when he is called upon by his teacher to read aloud.

Reading Level: JF

Learning Disabilities and the Don't Give Up Kid

Publisher: Verbal Images Press, 19 Fox Hill Drive, Fairport, NY 14450; 1990

Disability: Dyslexia

Story Profile: A dyslexic boy wants to grow up to be an inventor like Thomas Edison but is constantly frustrated by problems at school. He switches into a small special education class of children with auditory processing difficulties. The teacher gives him more personal attention, using an example from Edison's life to inspire him.

Reading Level: JF