Addabbo, Carole.
Dina the Deaf Dinosaur (Hearing Impaired, 4 and up)
Dina runs away from home when her parents won’t let her learn sign language, and meets several new friends in the forest who invite her to live with them. Signs are taught in a fun and creative way.
Amadeo, Diana M.
There’s A Little Bit of Me in Jamey (Cancer, 4-8)
A young boy donates bone marrow to his younger brother who has leukemia.
Anderson, Rachel.
The Bus People (Various disabilities, 9-12)
A collection of stories about seven children who ride the "special" bus to school.
Andrews, Jean F.
Hasta Luego, San Diego (Learning disability and hearing impaired, 9-12)
Donald, who has a learning disability, and his friend Matt, who is deaf, get kidnapped. (Flying Fingers Club series)
Andrews, Jean F.
Secret in the Dorm Attic (Learning disability and hearing impaired, 9-12)
Donald teams up with Matt to solve a mystery about a missing priceless necklace. (Flying Fingers Club series)
Aseltine, Lorraine.
I’m Deaf and It’s OK (Hearing impaired, 4 and up)
A young boy describes his frustration with his deafness and the encouragement he receives from a teenager who is also deaf.
Aseltine, Lorraine.
First Grade Can Wait (Learning disability, 4-8)
Luke is not ready to go on to 1st grade and is relieved when his parents and teacher decide he can stay in kindergarten another year.
Becker, Shirley.
Buddy’s Shadow (Down Syndrome, 4-8)
Buddy, who is 5 and has Down Syndrome, saves his money and buys a puppy.
Booth, Barbara D.
Mandy (Hearing impaired, 4 and up)
Mandy, who is hearing impaired, risks going out into a dark, scary night to find her beloved grandmother’s lost pin.
Byars, Betsy.
The Summer of the Swans (Developmentally delayed, 9 and up)
A 14 year old girl discovers compassion when her beloved brother, who is developmentally disabled, gets lost.
Carrick, Carol.
Melanie (Visually impaired, 4 and up)
When her grandfather goes in search of someone to heal her blindness and doesn’t return, Melanie follows and rescues him from a troll.
Caudill, Rebecca.
A Certain Small Shepherd (Developmentally delayed, 4 and up)
A young Appalachian boy speaks for the first time to a young couple and their newborn baby, who have taken refuge from a blizzard in a nearby church.
Cohen, Miriam.
See You Tomorrow, Charles (Visually impaired, 4 and up)
Charles, the new first grader, is blind and the class doesn’t know if they should protect Charles or treat him like everyone else. One day, Danny, Charles, and Ann Marie get into trouble. Can Charles take charge and help his friends?
Cormier, Robert.
I Am the Cheese (Mental illness, 9-12)
A young boy desperately tries to unlock his past, yet knows he must hide his memories in order to stay alive.
Dodds, Bill.
My Sister Annie (Down Syndrome, 9-12)
Charlie’s older sister Annie has Down Syndrome and he’s afraid that this will interfere with his plans in junior high school.
Fleming, Virginia.
Be Good to Eddie Lee (Down Syndrome, 4 and up)
Although Christy considered him a pest, when Eddie Lee, a boy with Down Syndrome, follows her into the woods, he shares several special discoveries with her.
Gilson, Jamie.
Do Bananas Chew Gum? (Learning disability, 9-12)
Sam is in 6th grade and feels "dumb" because he reads and writes like a 2nd grader until he’s told he has a learning disability.
Helfman, Elizabeth.
On Being Sarah (Cerebral palsy, 9-12)
Even though life with cerebral palsy isn’t easy for 12 year old Sarah, she manages with the help of her loving family and several new friends.
Holl, Kristi D.
The Haunting of Cabin 13 (Physically challenged, 9-12)
Children at camp, one who uses a wheelchair, team up to solve a mystery.
Janover, Caroline.
The Worst Speller in Junior High (Dyslexia, Cancer, 9-12)
Katie is in 7th grade, struggling to cope with her dyslexia and her mother’s cancer.
Janover, Caroline.
Josh: A Boy With Dyslexia (Dyslexia, 9-12)
Josh struggles to live with dyslexia and gain the respect and friendship of his peers.
Kneeland, Linda C.
Cookie (Down Syndrome, 4-8)
Four year old Molly, who has Down Syndrome, learns to talk with her hands.
Lee, Jeanne M.
Silent Lotus (Hearing impaired, 4 and up)
Although she cannot hear or speak, Lotus trains a Khmer Court dancer and becomes eloquent in dancing and the legends of the gods.
Litchfield, Ada Bassett.
A Cane in Her Hand (Visually impaired, 4-8)
A young girl copes with losing her sight.
Little, Jean.
From Anna (Visually impaired, 9-12)
When her family moves from Germany to Canada in the 1930’s, a 9 year old girl discovers the reason for her awkwardness, she’s visually impaired.
Lucado, Max.
The Crippled Lamb (Physically challenged, 4 and up)
A lamb who has always felt different and sad because of his black spots and limp, feels his true worth when he is called upon to help keep the baby Jesus warm.
Martin, Ann M.
Yours Turly, Shirley (Dyslexia, 9-12)
A young girl lives with her dyslexia and a new adoptive sister who is younger and smarter.
Martin, Ann M.
Claudia’s (Freind) Friend (Learning disability, 9-12)
Claudia is convinced that no one understands how difficult it is for her in school until she meets Shea, who has a learning disability.
Martin, Ann M.
Kristy and the Secret of Susan (Autism, 9-12)
Kristy thinks it is unfair that Susan is treated differently because she has autism and decides to change the situation.
Martin, Ann M.
Jessi’s Secret Language (Hearing impaired, 9-12)
Jessi learns sign language to communicate with the club’s new client, Matt, who is deaf.
Martin, Jr., Bill.
Knots on a Counting Rope (Visually impaired, 4 and up)
A Native American Grandfather uses a knotted counting rope to help his grandson, who is blind, understand the passage of time.
Mayer, Gina.
A Very Special Critter (Physically challenged, 4-8)
Little Critter discovers that Alex, the new boy in class, isn’t really different from anyone else in the class, even though Alex uses a wheel chair.
McDaniel, Lurlene.
When Dreams Shatter (Diabetes, 9-12)
A girl’s life changes when she is diagnosed with diabetes. (Lifelines series)
Moon, Nicola.
Lucy’s Picture (Visually impaired, 4 and up)
A young girl creates a picture that her grandpa, who is blind, can "see".
Muldoon, Kathleen M.
Princess Pooh (Physically challenged, 4 and up)
Jealous of her sister’s "royal" treatment as she sits in her wheelchair, Patty Jean tries it out and discovers that life in a wheelchair isn’t any fun.
Pascal, Francine.
Lucy at the Reins (Epilepsy, 9-12)
Lucy, a young girl with epilepsy, refuses to let her disability stand in the way of her dream of being a professional horse jockey.
Pascal, Francine.
Won’t Someone Help Anna? (Hearing impairment, 9-12)
New student Anna Reynolds is friendly, funny, popular, and deaf. When Anna starts having problems in school, classmate Cammi is the only one who can help.
Peterson, Jeanne Whitehouse.
I Have A Sister, My Sister is Deaf (Hearing impaired, 4 and up)
A young girl describes how her sister, who is deaf, experiences everyday things.
Phillips, Carolyn E.
Michelle (Cancer, 9-12)
A young girl is diagnosed with bone cancer, has her leg amputated, and goes on to become an accomplished skier. (True story)
Rabe, Berniece.
Where’s Chimpy? (Down Syndrome, 4-8)
Misty, a girl with Down Syndrome, and her father review her day’s activities in their search for her stuffed monkey.
Starowitz, Anne Marie.
The Day We Met Cindy (Visually impaired, 4-8)
A 1st grade class is introduced to hearing loss and sign language when a student’s aunt, who is deaf, visits the class.
Tashjian, Janet.
Tru Confessions (Developmental delay, 9-12)
12 year old Tru wants two things - to find a cure for her twin brother, Eddie, who is developmentally delayed, and her own television show.
Taylor, Theodore.
Tuck Triumphant (Hearing impaired, 9-12)
Helen is determined to help when the Ogdens discover the Korean orphan they’ve adopted is deaf.
Thompson, Mary.
Andy and his Yellow Frisbee (Autism, 4 and up)
The new girl at school tries to befriend Andy, a boy who has autism who spends recess by himself, playing with his yellow Frisbee.
Thompson, Mary.
My Brother, Matthew (Developmental delay, 4-8)
Though David feels frustrated and resentful sometimes, he feels he knows his little brother, who has a disability, even better than his parents do.
Voigt, Cynthia.
Izzy, Willy-Nilly (Physically challenged, 9-12)
A car accident causes Izzy to lose a leg and face rebuilding her life.
Waldman, David K.
Crystal Moonlight (Visually impaired, 4 and up)
In the crystal moonlight when all questions, according to the legend, are answered, Gale asks, "Why am I blind?"
Wanous, Suzanne.
Sara’s Secret (Cerebral palsy, 4-8)
At first, Sara doesn’t want anyone in her new school to know about her younger brother Justin, who has cerebral palsy.
Watson, Esther.
Talking to Angels (Autism, 4 and up)
Christa can’t explain her world, and most people don’t try to understand it. This powerful book gives readers a profound view of Christa’s reality.
Weyn, Suzanne.
The Forgotten Angel (Visually impaired, 9-12)
A blind orphan gets help from her guardian angel. (Forever Angels series)
Whelan, Gloria.
Hannah (Visually impaired, 4-8)
Hannah, a girl in late nineteenth century Michigan, is blind and can’t go to school until a new teacher tells her about the Braille method of reading for the blind.
Wilder, Laura Ingalls.
Little Town on the Prairie (Visually impaired, 9-12)
Laura gets a teaching job so her family can send her older sister Mary to a college for the blind.
*All books can be found and purchased at Amazon.com
For a class project, I used an augmentative communication device called a DynaMyte to speak, for one week. Read my journal here.