10 Books about Disability for Kids and Teens

Poet Raymond Antrobus has written an adorable children’s book about a bear cub who is hard of hearing (HoH). He keeps hearing adults ask him, “Can Bears Ski?” It’s not until the end of the book that he realizes that they are actually saying, “Can you hear me?” This is such a great book to give the Deaf and HoH kids in your life. Can Bears Ski? also opens up the conversation with hearing kids to help them understand that being Deaf or HoH is just another way to be.

Afghani author Bahram Rahman tells the story of Ari, a young Afghani girl who’s returning to school after an accident where she had to have one of her legs amputated. But she couldn’t be more excited to return to school, this time with her “helper leg.” But sitting on the floor with her new leg gives her chronic pain, so she organizes a way to make benches at school so kids like her can focus on learning instead of the pain from their disabilities. We love a story about creative solutions making education more accessible!

Hudson Talbott has illustrated some of the most beloved children’s books in the last couple decades, including Jacqueline Woodson’s Show Way. But A Walk in the Words is his own story of growing up with a learning disability. As a boy, Hudson struggled to read the words in front of him. Eventually, he gave himself permission to read at his own pace, enjoying the stories he read on his own terms, not at the speed expected by those around him.

When the rest of her class is out of school for the holidays, Marceline has to go into hospital for an operation. While lying in her hospital bed, Marceline reads books about fairy tales and learns about where fairy tales came from in the first place. As she dives into these stories, she decides to make up fairy tales herself.

In this graphic novel, we meet Cece, illustrated as a bunny, who is Deaf. She has a giant hearing aid strapped to her chest that directly connects to a mic her teacher uses. She hates how her hearing aid makes her stand out, but then she realizes that the hearing aid picks up on adults’ conversation in the teacher’s lounge. Cece comes to the conclusion that this must mean that she has a superpower!

In Breathe and Count Back from Ten, Verónica dreams of becoming a mermaid at the local mermaid show. But her parents want her to focus on college, not performing. Verónica has hip dysplasia, and feels the most free in the water. Being a mermaid is a way for her to feel like her best self. This young adult novel delves into the complex feelings of being a disabled teen trying to strike out on her own when her parents have always treated her like a breakable vase instead of a person.

Ariel Henley and her twin sister Zan were born with Crouzon Syndrome, a condition where the bones in their skulls fuse too early. Henley shares about her experience going through surgery after surgery, just hoping that one day she would finally have a face the other kids wouldn’t make fun of or that adults would quit whispering about. Henley is such a huge advocate for disabled folks with facial difference, especially for young people, making this young adult memoir a must-read.

Alice Wong’s stellar disability anthology is now available for young adults! Disability Visibility centers the stories of disabled people by and for disabled people. I would have LOVED to have a collection like this to read as a teen, so I am incredibly grateful that Wong went the extra mile to provide teens with a collection made just for them.