Do You Remember the Color Blue: And Other Questions Kids Ask About Blindness by Sally Hobart Alexander, J. Davis (Editor), J. Carey (Editor), Viking Childrens Books; ISBN: 0670880434; March 2000. Sally Hobart Alexander lost her sight to disease at the age of 26. One of her goals is to help her audience feel comfortable around disabled people by being respectfully curious. After acknowledging that not everyone is willing to share experiences, she responds to some of the fairly personal questions children and teens have asked her. Her answers reveal what daily life is like for a blind person: how she tells time, dresses and grooms herself (and why she wears sunglasses), works with her guide dog, reads, and writes. She also discusses how she raised two sighted children, how others react to her disability, and how much she remembers of the visual world. Reading level: Ages 9-12
Blue Bottle Mystery : An Asperger's Adventure by Kathy Hoopmann, Jessica Kingsley Pub; ISBN: 1853029785; April 2001. This is a warm, fun-filled fantasy story for children with a difference: the hero is Ben, a boy with Asperger Syndrome. When Ben and his friend Andy find an old bottle in the school yard, they little realize the surprises about to be unleashed in their lives. Bound up with this exciting mystery is the story of how Ben is diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome and how he and his family deal with the problems and joys that come along. Reading level: Ages 9-12
The 'Putting on the Brakes' Activity Book for Young People With Adhd by Patricia O. Quinn, Neil Russell (Illustrator), Judith Stern (Contributor). Magination; ISBN: 0945354576; October 1993. Reading level: Ages 9-12
Learning to Slow Down and Pay Attention: A Book for Kids About Add by Kathleen G. Nadeau, Ellen B. Dixon, John Rose (Illustrator). Magination; ISBN: 1557984565; 2nd edition October 1997. Reading level: Ages 9-12
Joey Pigza Loses Control (Newbery Honor Book, 2001) by Jack Gantos. Farrar Straus & Giroux; ISBN: 0374399891; September 2000. From Parents' Choice® Joey finally feels a sense of self-control over his hyperactivity now that he receives daily medication patches. Visiting his divorced father for the summer seems like a good idea until his father, a mirror image of the pre-meds Joey, flushes all of the boy's patches down the toilet. The comic elements of this truly funny story only enhance the deeper fundamentals of Joey's discoveries about identity and familial love. A 2000 Parents' Choice® Gold Award. Reading level: Ages 9-12
A Certain Small Shepherd by Rebecca Caudill,
William Pene Du Bois (Illustrator); Henry Holt & Company, 1997. From the
late Rebecca Caudill, author of The Best-Loved Doll and Tree of Freedom, comes
the heartrending story of a young Appalachian boy, born mute, who speaks
for the first time ever to a young couple and their newborn baby, who have
taken refuge from a blizzard in a nearby church.
age level 8 - 12, grade level 3 -5
Pay Attention, Slosh by Mark Smith, Gail Piazza (Illustrator); Albert Whitman & Company, 1997. When Josh's friends call him "Slosh, " it's particularly painful. Although he's smart when it comes to computers and math, Josh also has ADHD--Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder. After talking to his teacher, Josh's parents decide to take him to a doctor, and things start looking up. Best of all, over time, Josh's classmates come to appreciate him as just another one of the guys. age level 8 - 12, grade level 3 -5
The Berenstain Bears and the Wheelchair Commando (A Chapter Books) by Stan Berenstain, Jan Berenstain; Random House, 1993. Too-Tall makes fun of Harry and calls him "Wheels" because he's in a wheelchair. But Harry can handle it. He even challenges Too-Tall to a basketball game. age level 8 - 12, grade level 3 -5
Extraordinary People With Disabilities (Extraordinary People) by Deborah Kent, Kathryn A. Quinlan; Children's Press, 1997. Profiles seven dozen people throughout history with various physical or mental disabilities. Additional articles provide historical background on the disability rights movement. This book was named one of the Best Science Books for Junior High and High Schools by Science Books and Film, a review journal published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. age level 11-13, grade level 6-8
Becca and Sue Make Two by Sandra Haines;
Writer's Press. Becca and Sue want to be in the school talent show together.
With practice and cooperation they find that "together we're better." Becca
and Sue is a story of Down syndrome and friendship that will inspire all youngsters.
age level 8 - 12, grade level 3 - 8 ?
Small Steps : The Year I Got Polio by Peg Kehret; Albert Whitman & Co, 1996. All excited about her part in the upcoming 1949 Homecoming parade in her small Minnesota town, Peg suddenly found herself feverish and unable to control the muscles of her arms and legs. Diagnosed with polio, she was quarantined and taken to a hospital in Minneapolis, and later to a rehabilitation center, where she slowly learned to walk again. age level 8 - 12, grade level 3 - 8
Kathy's Hats A Story of Hope T. Krisher,
Illustrated by N.D. Westcott.Concept Books, 1992. Kathy has always enjoyed
wearing different kinds of hats, until she is diagnosed with cancer, her chemotherapy
causes her hair to fall out, and wearing hats is no longer fun but a matter
of covering her bald head. A quietly straightforward story of hope and the
fear and pain associated with the life-threatening disease, cancer.
age level 6 - 10, grade level 1 - 5
Barry's Sister by Lois Metzger; Atheneum Publishers, 1992. Ellen is horrified when her mother gives birth to a baby with cerebral palsy, but she soon develops an unyielding love for her brother and thinks of herself as his special guardian. age level 11 - 13, grade level 6 - 8
The Don'T-Give-Up Kid and Learning Differences by Jeanne Gehret; Verbal Images Press, 1996. Alex, a child with dyslexia, learns about his and other learning problems and what is done to solve them. age level 9-12, grade level 4-8
Know About Mental Illness by Margaret O. Hyde, Elizabeth H. Forsyth; Walker & Company, 1996. A book for young readers that explores various issues concerning mental illness explains the types of illnesses that children are most likely to encounter and tackles myths and stereotypes about mental illness and its treatment. age level 9-12, grade level 4-8
Imagine Me on a Sit-Ski! by George Moran, Nadine Bernard Westcott (Illustrator); Concept Books, 1994. Billy and his classmates, who are physically challenged, learn that they can go skiing just like other youngsters when they are fitted with special equipment, such as a sit-ski, and feel the freedom and exhilaration of a sport from which they once were excluded. age level 7 - 10, grade level 2 - 5
Making Room for Uncle Joe by Ada Bass
Litchfield; Albert Whitman & Company, 1984. When the State Hospital School
closes and Uncle Joe comes to Dan's house, Dan and his family are all apprehensive
about having a retarded relative living with them.
age level 8 - 10, grade level 3 - 5
Buddy : The First Seeing Eye Dog (Hello
Reader! Level 4) by Eva Moore, Don Bolognese (Illustrator); Cartwheel Books,
1996. True account of the training and early work experiences of the German
shepherd which became the first seeing eye dog in America.
age level 7 - 10, grade level 2 - 5th
Kids Explore the Gifts of Children With Special Needs by Westridge Young Writers Workshop; John Muir Publications, 1994. Children in a writing workshop describe the lives of ten young people with special needs, including a boy with fetal alcohol syndrome, a girl with cerebral palsy, and a boy with dyslexia. age level 10 -13, grade level 5th - 8th
When Learning Is Tough : Kids Talk About Their Learning Disabilities by Cynthia Roby, Elena Dorfman (Illustrator); Concept Books. 1994. Eight children describe their learning problems, recount their lives before they knew they had a disability, and explain how they have learned to adjust to and work with the challenges they face. age level 9 - 12, grade level 4 - 8
Edith Herself by Ellen Howard; Atheneum, 1987. Orphaned by her mother's death, Edith goes to live with her older sister and her dour husband in their stern Christian farming household, where the strain of adjusting seems to aggravate her epileptic seizures. age level 10 - 13, grade level 5 - 8
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updated July 2004