Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Children's books

Join in for children's book recommendations.

Original poster

Positive portrayals of disabilities in children's fiction

37 replies

steviesmith · 25/02/2011 21:53

I was set the task of finding books featuring children with disabilities as part of my librarian studies.

My 3yr old DS's collection of books feature a couple of children in wheelchairs and the local library is no better really. So can anyone recommend any good books, ones with proper plots rather than thinly disguised discussions of issues?

Any age group really but I'm particularly interested in younger children.

OP posts:
sethstarkaddersmackerel · 28/02/2011 18:28

Jacqueline Wilson's Sleepovers has a heroine with a disabled sister.

from a few years ago, there was an author called Jane Stemp who had disabilities herself and wrote 2 teenage novels with disabled heroines, I think they were called Waterbound and Secret Songs.

cymruoddicatref · 28/02/2011 18:21

There is also "red sky in the morning" by Elizabeth laird, about a little girl whose baby brother Ben is born profoundly disabled.

DandyDan · 28/02/2011 16:46

Jean Ure in her previous incarnation as an author for teens wrote See You Thursday, and After Thursday about the romance between Marianne and Abe who is blind. She also wrote about a boy having a breakdown in If It Weren't For Sebastian.

Just Because by Rebecca Elliott (a picture book for younger children) is narrated by a little boy talking about his sister Clemmie who is profoundly physical and mentally disabled.

nuru · 28/02/2011 13:45

Scope has a project on including images of children with disabilities in children's books. The website is here

Should be helpful :)

trubshawe · 28/02/2011 05:46

My dd loved CHF publication "Rosie goes red, Violet goes blue" and read it to her class at school, about child with congenital heart defect.

cymruoddicatref · 27/02/2011 08:25

Not sure about physical disability, but Anne fine wrote a sensitive book about a child called soli who suffered from some kind of self harming mental condition - possibly a form of depression? And her book "Tulip"(or similar - I'm not in front of the bookshelves!) confronts similar difficult issues of difference. She writes wonderfully on a whole range of topics - I seem to remember that "how to write really badly" is about dyslexia or similar? Why don't you get in touch with her and ask. I bet she has tackled physical disabilities too. And there is always a great narrative story.

Original poster
steviesmith · 26/02/2011 21:53

Thanks meditrina, it's interesting to hear about the film. One of the best examples I could think of was the film "Finding Nemo."

OP posts:
meditrina · 26/02/2011 20:45

This isn't exactly what you're asking for, but the film version of "How To Teain Your Dragon" ends up with Hiccup having a prosthetic leg (like a blade), and riding off on his (prosthetic winged) dragon. Not in the book though.

Original poster
steviesmith · 26/02/2011 20:41

Thank you both. I'll look out for your recommendations.

OP posts:
TotalChaos · 26/02/2011 10:54

Dont call me special is good, but very much an overt discussion of issues. For older children the london eye mystery by siobahn dowd has a character on the autistic syndrome.

Al1son · 26/02/2011 10:50

I have two books by Tamarind called Boots for a Bridesmaid and Are We Nearly There Yet?

They both have nice plots involving children and parents, don't mention disability but the pictures show the (capable and independent) parents using wheelchairs.

I'd say they were suitable for pre-schoolers.