Mighty Mara celebrates diversity and also explores themes about tenacity, self-confidence, and disability inclusion. The protagonist, a young disabled girl, encounters doubt and some bullying when she signs up to perform in her school talent show. Readers will see how she overcomes biases and ableism to embrace what makes her uniquely herself.
In this charming picture book, a group of children (including Leigh, a wheelchair user) work together to support each other to make costumes for a school event. Leigh is struggling with feelings of self-consciousness and frustration, but he successfully overcomes this.
This engaging picture book features Leigh, a disabled child who uses a wheelchair. It highlights some of the everyday obstacles that wheelchair users have to cope with. A great choice for any child, reinforcing the importance of empathy, resilience, teamwork, kindness and creative thinking.
A joyful book that celebrates friendship, play and acceptance. The story features 'incidental' inclusion: the central character uses a wheelchair, which features prominently in the illustrations but is not mentioned in the text.
This story gives a voice to children in long-term hospital care and normalises the hospital environment. It recognises how many selfless acts of kindness are performed in hospitals every day by staff, volunteers and the families of sick children. It also encourages children to be kind and helpful.
Highlighting the fact that families come in all shapes and sizes, this book celebrates diversity, explaining how every personal situation is different. It's a good book for debunking the traditional storybook myth that happy families usually consist of mother, father and two children.
This book approaches the difficult subject of grief with sensitivity and sound judgement. The perfect story for children who have lost a much-loved figure in their life.
A light-hearted and engaging picture book that focusses on a young boy’s journey to school in his manual wheelchair. The story gives a very positive view of wheelchair use, emphasising that it can be fast and fun, while at the same time making the reader more aware of the challenges and obstacles that wheelchair users face each day. Promotes resilience, kindness and acceptance.
A positive book which sends out the message that a person's disabilities need not define them. It would be a good choice for a child who has a family member in a wheelchair.
Describing to the very young positive things they can do to help their bodies grow strong and healthy. May also reassure a child eager to 'be grown up' that each day, little by little, they are moving towards this. Personal safety issues, healthy eating and good hygiene are also touched upon.
A good choice of book to set a child's expectations of what happens at a nursery or playgroup. For children already attending, the simple conversational text and lively illustrations may encourage them to talk about their experiences there.
Max is first and foremost a fun picture book about a sport-mad boy with a powerful imagination. It also tells us that deaf and disabled children can - and should - be included, both in stories and in life.