Book picks similar to
Way to Go, Alex! by Robin Pulver
picture-books
disabilties
diversity-project
cognitive-disability
When You Were Older
Catherine Ryan Hyde - 2012
On the morning of September 11, 2001, the phone rings while Rusty is rushing to work. The news is devastating: Rusty's mother has died of a stroke, leaving his brain-damaged older brother Ben alone. This news also saves Rusty's life. He's still at home when two planes hit the World Trade Center--and only one of his friends and colleagues survives. In a single day, the life Rusty built in New York crumbles to the ground. Rusty returns to his tiny hometown and the brother he was more than happy to leave behind. Ben hasn't changed a bit, but the town has. Tensions are running high in the wake of the terrorist attack, while Rusty struggles to put the the past behind him and care for the exasperating brother he loves. He finds refuge drinking coffee in the early morning with beautiful Egyptian-American Anat in her father's bakery. Rusty is beginning to get his life back...until one awful night threatens to take it all away again.
The Snow Rabbit
Camille Garoche - 2015
One goes out and sculpts a little rabbit, but when she brings it back inside to her wheelchair-bound sister, it begins to melt. So they take it outside and into the forest where enchanted things begin to happen. A follow up to her hauntingly beautiful Fox’s Garden, Camille Garoche (a.k.a. Princess Camcam) mounts paper cut scenes into dioramas that are then meticulously lit and photographed, lending the illustrations depth and heightened drama. Steeped in subtle detail and unspoken emotion, The Snow Rabbit is a book to cherish. Also known as Princesse Camcam and the creator of the celebrated Fox's Garden, Camille Garoche lives in Paris with her partner and daughter. Camille's 3D, cut-paper illustrations have been exhibited throughout Europe.
Continuum
Chella Man - 2021
Space to think. Space to connect. Space to be yourself. And this is your invitation to join us. In Continuum, fine artist, activist, and Titans actor Chella Man uses his own experiences as a deaf, transgender, genderqueer, Jewish person of color to talk about cultivating self-acceptance and acting as one's own representation.Pocket Change Collective is a series of small books with big ideas from today's leading activists and artists.What constructs in your life must you unlearn to support inclusivity and respect for all? This is a question that artist, actor, and activist Chella Man wrestles with in this powerful and honest essay. A story of coping and resilience, Chella journeys through his experiences as a deaf, transgender, genderqueer, Jewish person of color, and shows us that identity lies on a continuum -- a beautiful, messy, and ever-evolving road of exploration.
I Will Dance
Nancy Bo Flood - 2020
But unlike many would-be dancers, Eva has cerebral palsy. She doesn’t know what dance looks like for someone who uses a wheelchair. Then Eva learns of a place that has created a class for dancers of all abilities. Her first movements in the studio are tentative, but with the encouragement of her instructor and fellow students, Eva becomes more confident. Eva knows she’s found a place where she belongs. At last her dream of dancing has come true.
The William Hoy Story: How a Deaf Baseball Player Changed the Game
Nancy Churnin - 2016
After losing out on a spot on the local deaf team, William practiced even harder—eventually earning a position on a professional team. But his struggle was far from over. In addition to the prejudice Hoy faced, he could not hear the umpires' calls. One day he asked the umpire to use hand signals: strike, ball, out. That day he not only got on base but also changed the way the game was played forever. William “Dummy" Hoy became one of the greatest and most beloved players of his time! The William Hoy Story is also on several book lists:2016 New York Public Library Best Books for Kids2017 Texas 2x2 Reading List2017 Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List2017 Best Children's Books of the Year, Bank Street College2018 Illinois Monarch Award Master List
A Sundog Moment
Sharon Baldacci - 2004
- The author herself was diagnosed with MS 21 years ago and authentically and beautifully captures the thoughts and emotions of a vibrant woman navigating a new reality.- Comparable to Jan Karon's bestselling Mitford series, A SUNDOG MOMENT is brimming with insight and wisdom for everyone--no matter what their experience or point of view.- Sharon Baldacci has written for "The Herald-Progress and "Richmond Magazine, among others, and has won awards from the Virginia Press Association and the Virginia Press Women, of which she is a member.
Henny
Elizabeth Rose Stanton - 2014
Instead of wings, she has arms!Sometimes Henny likes being different: she enjoys the way her arms flutter like ribbons when she runs; but other times, not so much. She just can't do things the same way as the other chickens.But doing things the same as everyone else is overrated, as Henny comes to realize in this warmhearted story, sweetly told and illustrated with fresh, expressive artwork that celebrates the individual in everyone.
Just Ask!: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You
Sonia Sotomayor - 2019
But in the same way that different types of plants and flowers make a garden more beautiful and enjoyable, different types of people make our world more vibrant and wonderful.In Just Ask, United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor celebrates the different abilities kids (and people of all ages) have. Using her own experience as a child who was diagnosed with diabetes, Justice Sotomayor writes about children with all sorts of challenges—and looks at the special powers those kids have as well. As the kids work together to build a community garden, asking questions of each other along the way, this book encourages readers to do the same: When we come across someone who is different from us but we're not sure why, all we have to do is Just Ask.
Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body
Rebekah Taussig - 2020
None of this felt right; and as she got older, she longed for more stories that allowed disability to be complex and ordinary, uncomfortable and fine, painful and fulfilling.Writing about the rhythms and textures of what it means to live in a body that doesn’t fit, Rebekah reflects on everything from the complications of kindness and charity, living both independently and dependently, experiencing intimacy, and how the pervasiveness of ableism in our everyday media directly translates to everyday life.Disability affects all of us, directly or indirectly, at one point or another. By exploring this truth in poignant and lyrical essays, Taussig illustrates the need for more stories and more voices to understand the diversity of humanity. Sitting Pretty challenges us as a society to be patient and vigilant, practical and imaginative, kind and relentless, as we set to work to write an entirely different story.
The Lonely Astronaut On Christmas Eve
Tom DeLonge - 2013
Now the punk-rock papa is proud to share some of his story time with the world, through the release of his first children’s book THE LONELY ASTRONAUT ON CHRISTMAS EVE. This book, written by DeLonge, is a wistful story for the young and the young-at-heart alike. Wonderfully illustrated by Mike Henry, THE LONELY ASTRONAUT ON CHRISTMAS EVE, is a tale of a rocketeer alone on the moon on a cold Christmas night, and the gift he receives from a few unexpected (and extraterrestrial) friends.
I am Helen Keller
Brad Meltzer - 2015
That’s the inspiring message of this New York Times Bestselling picture book biography series from historian and author Brad MeltzerWhen Helen Keller was very young, she got a rare disease that made her deaf and blind. Suddenly, she couldn't see or hear at all, and it was hard for her to communicate with anyone. But when she was six years old, she met someone who change her life forever: her teacher, Annie Sullivan. With Miss Sullivan's help, Helen learned how to speak sign language and read Braille. Armed with the ability to express herself, Helen grew up to be come a social activist, leading the fight for people with disabilities and so many other causes.
A Trick of Light
Michele L. Rivera - 2019
Madison is a talented but struggling artist who can never seem to live up to anyone’s expectations. On the evening of an exceptionally bad heartbreak, she does something reckless, and now she is haunted by the events of that fateful night. Unable to forgive herself for fleeing the scene of an accident, Madison is convinced that she’s unworthy of love.Spencer’s epilepsy makes her a prisoner in her own body. After surviving a seizure-induced car crash, she’s determined to make the most of her new lease on life. With some encouragement, she enters the dating scene, but rules out finding love, believing that no one will be able to see beyond her limitations. Madison has a dark secret. Spencer carries a burden. When they happen to meet, their connection is instant but oddly familiar. As these two women begin to discover that their demons tie them together, will the truth bring them closer, or stop a romance before it even starts?
What Happened to You?
James Catchpole - 2021
. . what happened to his leg? But is this even a question Joe has to answer?A ground-breaking, funny story that helps children understand what it might feel like to be seen as different.
When Grandfather Flew
Patricia MacLachlan - 2021
Milo's grandfather is fascinated by birds. He admires their freedom and never loses an opportunity to point out the things that make each one special.When he can no longer see as well as he used to, Milo helps him spot and take care of some of his favorites: hovering kestrels, fragile chickadees, and the bald eagle soaring high overhead.One day when Milo comes home, Grandpa isn't there.But when the boy sees an eagle swooping through the sky above, he knows Grandpa is still with them: reborn in the skies, just as he'd wanted.This honest, reflective, and deeply moving portrait of grief offers young readers comfort and hope in difficult times. When Grandfather Flew celebrates the close, beautiful relationships between children and grandparents, and the unique ways we keep lost loved ones close.With a lyrical text by acclaimed author Patricia MacLachlan and vivid, textural artwork by Chris Sheban, this wistful story will resonate with anyone who has felt the loss of a loved one-- and will remind you to look for the reminders of the love you shared.A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
Hooway for Wodney Wat
Helen Lester - 1999
Poor Rodney Rat can't pronounce his R's and the other rodents tease him mercilessly. But when Camilla Capybara joins Rodney's class and announces that she is bigger, meaner, and smarter than any of them, everyone is afraid she might be right. Children will delight in--and relate to--the unwitting hero Rodney and how he uses his tiny but powerful voice to save the day.