Reading can change the way we think about disability. Disability experiences are diverse, and not all disabilities are visible so it’s important to find books with genuine representation of all types of disability including physical, psychiatric, and sensory disabilities, and neurodivergence. The books on this list put disabled kids and teens at the centre of the story.
Picture Books
A Sky-Blue Bench
Written by Bahram Rahman
Illustrated by Peggy Collins
Pajama Press, 2021
IL: Ages 5-8 RL: Grades 1-3
It's Afghan schoolgirl Aria's first day back at school since her accident. She's excited, but she's also worried about sitting on the hard floor all day with her new prosthetic "helper-leg." Just as Aria feared, sitting on the floor is so uncomfortable that she can't think about learning at all. She knows that before the war changed many things in Afghanistan, schools like hers had benches for students to sit at. If she had a bench, her leg would not hurt so much. The answer is obvious: she will gather materials, talk to Kaka Najar, the carpenter in the old city, and learn to build a bench for herself.
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Butterfly on the Wind
Written by Adam Pottle
Illustrated by Ziyue Chen
Roaring Brook Press, 2024
IL: Ages 3-6 RL: Grades p-1
On the day of the talent show, Aurora's hands tremble. No matter how hard she tries to sign, her fingers stumble over one another and the words just won't come. But as she’s about to give up, she spots a butterfly. Using her hands to sign the ASL word for "butterfly," Aurora sends a magical butterfly of her own into the world, inspiring Deaf people across the globe to add their own. The butterflies grow in numbers and strength as they circle back to Aurora, bolstering her with the love and support of her worldwide Deaf community.
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Friends Find a Way
Written by Heather M. O’Connor
Illustrated by Claudia Dávila
Scholastic Canada, 2023
IL: Ages 3-7 RL: Grades p-3
Suze and Tyson's class is going on a field trip to the zoo, and the two fast friends are excited to see all the animals, especially the cheetahs. But when the two get separated from their class, Tyson doesn't know which way to go. But Suze does. Can she lead the way back? A wonderful, energetic story about friendship and inclusion, which also introduces kids to concepts of non-verbal communication and reading body language.
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The Scooter Twins
Written by Dorothy Ellen Palmer
Illustrated by Maria Sweeney
Groundwood Books, 2024
IL: Ages 3-7 RL: Grades p-3
Melanie is LOUD and Melvin is quiet. Melvin likes frogs and Melanie loves MOTORCYCLES! When the twins learn that they will get their very own mobility scooters, Melanie is excited to race to school, but Melvin is worried he’ll fall — and that people will stare. And there’s a problem: Grandma can’t afford the scooters without selling one of Mom’s treasured paintings, one of the only things the twins have left to remember their parents.
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Together, a Forest: Drawing Connections Between Nature's Diversity and Our Own
Written & illustrated by Roz MacLean
Henry Holt and Co., 2025
IL: Ages 4-8 RL: Grades p-3
Joy and her peers are eager to visit a nearby forest for a class trip. But Joy's excitement quickly turns into anxiety when she is asked to choose one thing in the area for a school assignment. Seeing her classmates connecting with the natural environment, Joy discovers how each of their choices reflect the ways they relate to and interact with the world. The forest reveals that everyone—including those of us with disabilities and neurodivergence—belong to nature. There is no one right way for a mind, body, or person to be.
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This Is How We Talk: A Celebration of Disability and Connection
Written by Caroline Cupp & Jessica Slice
Illustrated by Kayla Harren
Penguin Young Readers Group, 2025
IL: Ages 3-7 RL: Grades p-2
We sign, write, clap! We tap, stim, scream! So many ways to talk and joke, play and learn and dream. This joyful read-aloud, with an empowering refrain, from disability rights activists Jessica Slice and Caroline Cupp, demystifies and respects how disabled people and their families use different forms of communication to connect and show love.
For early and middle readers
The Anxious Exile of Sara Salt
Written by Gabrille Prendergast
Orca Book Publishers, 2025
IL: Ages 9-12 RL: Grades 4-7
Sara isn't great with strangers: she has selective mutism, so being in a new place isn't always easy. Sara's little brother is born premature. He looks small and red, like a baby bird, so she calls him Birdy. Because she can't visit him often, she writes him letters about everything that's happened since he's been born—like how her mom and stepdad are sending her to Toronto to stay with her half-sister, Abby. And how Abby lives in this amazing storage container house on a vacant lot and hopes to build a whole community of them for unhoused people.
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Maya Plays the Part
Written by Calyssa Erb
Annick Press, 2024
IL: Ages 8-12 RL: Grades 3-6
Maya lives and breathes musicals. When her chance to finally be a part of the summer musical program at the community theater comes up, Maya is convinced she will get the lead. After all, who knows The Drowsy Chaperone better than she does? However, things don’t turn out exactly the way Maya’s planned, and the summer turns out to be jam-packed with problems: dealing with her best friend’s move, her parents’ busy jobs, and—since her autism diagnosis—the ongoing puzzle of how to be Maya in Public. But perhaps most important of all, Maya has to figure out how to play the part that truly feels like her own.
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ThunderBoom
Written by Jack Briglio
Illustrated by Claudia Dávila
Kids Can Press, 2023
IL: Ages 9-12 RL: Grades 4-7
In this exciting graphic novel, Logan is thrilled when his parents tell him they're all taking the train to see the Santa Claus parade. But Logan isn't like most 11-year-olds - he can't speak, and he mostly lives in his head. On this adventure, Logan must face some of his greatest fears: masks, dogs and the unknown. When he's separated from his parents at the parade, Logan goes where he's the bravest version of himself - his imagination. Transforming into superhero ThunderBoom, Logan is determined to stomp his way through any challenges.
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The Unique Lou Fox
Written by Jodi Carmichael
Pajama Press, 2023
IL: Ages 8-12 RL: Grades 3-7
It isn’t easy being Louisa Elizabeth Fitzhenry-O’Shaughnessy—especially with dyslexia. She prefers Lou Fox, the dream name she’ll use one day as a famous Broadway playwright. In the meantime, Lou is stuck in fifth grade with Mrs. Snyder, a total Shadow Phantom of a teacher who can spot a daydream from across the room but doesn’t know anything about ADHD.
For teen readers
Caterpillars Can’t Swim
Written by Liane Shaw
Second Story Press, 2017
IL: Ages 13-18 RL: Grades 8-12
Ryan, who uses a wheelchair, is at his most confident when he's in the water. When he rescues his schoolmate, Jack, from drowning their lives become connected, whether they like it or not. Ryan keeps Jack's secret about that day in the water, but he knows that Jack needs help. The school is full of rumors about Jack's sexuality, and he has few friends. When Ryan decides to invite Jack on a trip to Comic Con he's planned with his best friend Cody, the captain of the school's swim team, the three boys make an unlikely combination. But they will each have the chance to show whether they are brave enough to go against the stereotypes the world tries to define them by.
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Life Expectancy
Written by Alison Hughes
Cormorant Books, 2023
IL: Ages 13-18 RL: Grades 8-12
How do you go on after making a life-altering discovery about yourself? Sophie St. John’s grandmother, a world-renowned writer, may be as talented as she is rude, but Sophie is just Sophie: clumsy, emotional, and prone to outbursts. When she stars in a class play based on her grandmother’s famous novel and then comes across an old legal case while doing research for homework, Sophie uncovers a profound, devastating, life-changing secret — a secret her parents have kept from her since birth.
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Something More
Written by Jackie Khalilieh
Tundra Book Group, 2024
IL: Ages 13-18 RL: Grades 8-12
Fifteen-year-old Jessie, a quirky loner obsessed with the nineties, is diagnosed as autistic just weeks before starting high school. Determined to make a fresh start and keep her diagnosis a secret, Jessie creates a list of goals that range from acquiring two distinct eyebrows to getting a magical first kiss and landing a spot in the school play. Within the halls of Holy Trinity High, she finds a world where things are no longer black and white and quickly learns that living in color is much more fun.
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Under Shifting Stars
Written by Alexandra Latos
HarperCollins, 2020
IL: Ages 13-18 RL: Grades 8-12
Audrey’s best friend was always her twin, Clare. But as they got older, they grew apart, and when their brother Adam died, Clare blamed Audrey for the accident. Now, Audrey’s attending an alternative school where she feels more isolated than ever. Tired of being seen as different from her neurotypical peers, Audrey’s determined to switch to the public high school, rebuild her friendship with Clare, and atone for Adam’s death . . . but she’ll need to convince her parents, and her therapist, first.
Non-Fiction
The Disability Experience
Written by Hannalora Leavitt
Illustrated by Belle Wuthrich
Orca Book Publishers, 2021
IL: Ages 12-18 RL: Grades 8-12
People with disabilities (PWDs) have the same aspirations for their lives as you do for yours. The difference is that PWDs don’t have the same access to education, employment, housing, transportation and healthcare in order to achieve their goals. In The Disability Experience you’ll meet people with different kinds of disabilities, and you'll begin to understand the ways PWDs have been ignored, reviled and marginalized throughout history. The book also celebrates the triumphs and achievements of PWDs and shares the powerful stories of those who have fought for change.
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My Art, My World
Written & illustrated by Rita Winkler
Second Story Press, 2021
IL: Ages 6-9 RL: Grades 6-8
Approaching her daily life with enthusiasm and humour, Rita rides public transit to her job working at a university coffee shop. She takes yoga and folk dance classes and enjoys drama and music at a day program, and she practices using sign language. In My Art, My World, Rita shows us her love for the world through her great passion: making beautiful and fun works of art.
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Rewriting the Rules: How Dr. Kathleen Friel Created New Possibilities for Brain Research and Disability
Written by Danna Zeiger
Illustrated by Josée Bisaillon
Lerner Publishing Group, 2025
IL: Ages 6-10 RL: Grades 1-5
When Kathleen Friel was young, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and a doctor told her parents all the things she'd never be able to do. They left his office for good and found a new doctor. As Kathleen grew up, she found her own methods to tackle tricky tasks and make her way through the world. After becoming fascinated by science, she went on to earn a PhD, investigating how injured brains can build new connections. She now runs her own lab, developing new techniques to help others with cerebral palsy.
This is the incredible story of how a determined scientist rewrote the rules and followed her dreams.
En Francais
Ma Maison-Tête
Written & illustrated by Vigg
Fonfon, 2020
IL: Ages 6-8 RL: Grades 1-3
Au retour d’une sortie au cinéma, Vincent peut raconter le film à sa maman dans les moindres détails. Mais lorsqu’il doit réciter devant sa classe une fable apprise par cœur… rien ne lui vient. Sa tête est comme une maison très vaste et parfois, il s’y perd. Plutôt que de faire « comme tout le monde », Vincent apprendra à trouver ce qui fonctionne pour lui.
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Pourquoi pas?
Written by Mylène Viens
Les Editions David, 2018
IL: Ages 14-18 RL: Grades 10-12
Atteinte de dystrophie musculaire, Myriam décide, après avoir fini son secondaire, de déployer ses ailes et de prendre son envol. Bousculée par son pneumologue qui lui demande abruptement « Veux-tu vivre? », elle se dit qu'elle ne peut plus attendre pour réaliser le voyage dont elle rêve depuis si longtemps. Avec son vieux chauffeur d'autobus, Mike, son amie Élizabeth et un copain, Scott, elle quitte pour la première fois le nid familial en direction de Québec pour enfin savourer sa liberté et repousser ses limites. Entre un bris mécanique et un saut en parapente, Myriam apprendra à composer avec sa vie différente des autres, certes parsemée d'embûches, mais combien savoureuse. Parce que personne n'est condamné tant et aussi longtemps qu'il ne se condamne pas lui-même, mais surtout parce que rien n'est impossible si on y croit, Mylène Viens, tout comme son personnage Myriam, ose crier haut et fort : « Pourquoi pas ? » dans cette autofiction à la fois drôle et émouvante.
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Chris : Le boulevard/Au carrefour/Les avenues
Written by Jean-Francois Sénéchal
Lemeac Jeunesse, 2023
IL: Ages 14-18 RL: Grades 10-12
Chris est abandonné par sa mère le jour de ses dix-huit ans. Grâce à son coeur immense et à son attachante candeur, le jeune homme trouve dans le milieu populaire où il vit le soutien et la solidarité qui l’aideront à surmonter cette disparition. Tandis qu’il fait l’apprentissage de l’autonomie à travers les défis du quotidien, il deviendra un modèle de résilience et de courage pour les personnes qu’il côtoie. . Regroupant les trois tomes d’une trilogie bouleversante, Chris offre un regard philosophique sur la vie, la force et la fragilité des sentiments, la loyauté, l’amour et les responsabilités parentales – une perspective rarement abordée avec autant de finesse et de crédibilité en littérature, loin des clichés sur la déficience intellectuelle.
Learn more about Disability Representation
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List curated by Spencer Miller