Study Skill 14.4 Books to Celebrate Disability Culture Month

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Mizzou is starting a wonderful new tradition of celebrating Disability Culture Month. You can read more here.

As we continue to build out our "on our bookshelves series," the Mizzou Academy team is proud to offer this new book list on reading for representation and inclusion of people with disabilities.

Knowing that representation matters in both literature and life, this list gave us the gift of revisiting loved texts and also the responsibility of reading more literature by authors who identify with and/or affirm disability culture. At the bottom of this post, we are including some resource lists we found as a starting place for our own continued work. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy the selections below all of which have mattered to members of our Mizzou Academy team.

Emmanuel’s Dream, Laurie Ann Thompson and Sean Qualls

Elementary

Recommended by Lisa DeCastro

Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah was born with only one strong leg. His story is one of perseverance and hope as he dreams big and completes a bike across Ghana to raise awareness and rights for people with disabilities. Emmanuel is a real-life hero and continues to inspire people across the globe with his message “disability does not mean inability.”

It’s Okay to Be Different, Todd Parr

Early Elementary

Recommended by Kathryn Fishman-Weaver

This bright-colored picture book celebrates and affirms difference. While not specifically about disability culture, the author’s message that “it’s okay to be different” and that “you are special and important just by being who you are” sets an important tone for honoring many forms of diversity.

Do You Remember the Color Blue? - Questions Children Ask About Blindness, Sally Hobart Alexander

Elementary - All

Recommended by Kimberly Kester

The author lost her sight at age 26. She gives thoughtful answers to questions she gets from children as well as questions she had about blindness when she was a child.

Wilma Unlimited, Kathleen Krull (Author), David Diaz (Illustrator)

Elementary

Recommended by Kathryn Fishman-Weaver

This book tells the true story of Wilma Rudolph, the first American woman to earn three gold medals in a single olympiad. After having polio as a child the doctors told her family that Wilma might never walk. Wilma wrote a different story for herself.

Out of My Mind, Sharon M. Draper

Elementary - Middle School

Recommended by Kimberly Kester

The protagonist, Melody, has a photographic memory. Although she can't walk or talk, Melody refuses to let cerebral palsy define her. She strives to get her classmates to see her as a person first. This wonderful book shows that everyone has different gifts to celebrate.

Wonder, Sharon M. Draper

Middle School

Recommended by Lisa DeCastro (This book is also taught in our Grade 7 ELA course)

Auggie is a 10-year-old who loves playing video games on his Xbox and is a huge fan of Star Wars. He’s also had twenty-seven surgeries because of a rare genetic disease, so his face looks different from his peers. For the first time in his life, he’s excited to start school in a classroom with a teacher and other students because he’s only been homeschooled by his mom. School brings a lot of new experiences and people to Auggie’s life and sometimes not all of the newness is positive. Readers will join Auggie on his journey through school as he makes new friends, acts brave like his favorite Star Wars characters, and teaches everyone around him about the power of compassion, empathy, and kindness.

A Snicker of Magic, Natalie Lloyd

Middle School

Recommended by Sherry Denney

This is an awesome book about a girl named Felicity who is set on returning the magic to a town called Midnight Gulch. Along the way she meets an important person in her journey, a boy named Jonah. Although Jonah uses a wheelchair, the book does not focus on why Jonah needs a wheelchair. Instead, throughout the story, the book sends a powerful message that we are all people living our lives, and possibly seeking magic.

A Mango-Shaped Space, Wendy Mass

Middle School - High School

Recommended by Jill Clingan and Brian Stuhlman

In this coming-of-age novel, Mia Winchell has synesthesia, the mingling of perceptions whereby a person can see sounds, smell colors, or taste shapes. She tries to hide her secret, but when other kids at school find out they tease her and don’t understand what it’s like for her to have this condition. She eventually develops an understanding of and an appreciation of this gift.

Challenger Deep, Neal Shusterman

Middle School - High School

Recommended by Jill Clingan

This brilliant and beautiful young adult novel follows 15-year-old Caden Bosch on a metaphorical journey as he descends into mental illness as he struggles with delusions and hallucinations and then begins his ascent to recovery.

Of Mice and Men, John Steinback

Middle School - High School

Recommended by Kimberly Kester

This is the story of two main characters: Lennie and George. Lennie has an intellectual disability and George helps him navigate their world as migrant farmworkers. This touching novel depicts their deep friendship and provides students with an example of how to treat others with respect and kindness.

The War That Saved My Life, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Middle School - High School

Recommended by Kimberly Kester

A young girl with a twisted foot finds courage when she is faced with helping others during World War II. The main character exhibits bravery, persistence, and fear in a very believable way that students can identify with. This is a great novel for students to make text-to-self connections as they ask themselves what they would do in similar situations.

Playing with Matches, Brian Katcher

High School

Recommended by Brian Stuhlman

Leon Sanders is an average-looking 17-year-old whose twisted sense of humor has propelled him from nerdy to unknown. Leon’s new locker neighbor is Melody Hennon, an unfortunate girl whose face was horribly disfigured from a childhood accident. Leon soon discovers that Melody is a funny, smart, and interesting person, and develops feelings for her.

All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr

High School

Recommended by Kathryn Fishman-Weaver and Jill Clingan

A gorgeous and deeply-moving work of historical fiction whose protagonist is Marie Laure, a young blind girl. As she tries to survive the horrors of World War II, her life eventually intertwines with that of another teenager who is also trying to survive the war. This story is a beautiful, meaningful tale about connecting humanity and bridging divides.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Mark Haddon

High School

Recommended by Sherry Denney

This book is about a young boy named, Christopher, who is determined to solve the murder of his neighbor’s dog. Christopher has autism and through a first-person perspective, he describes in detail his plans to find the criminal. The book is humorous and also helps the reader understand the mind of an individual with autism.

On My Own Two Feet, Amy Purdy

High School

Recommended by Jill Clingan

When Amy Purdy was nineteen, she contracted bacterial meningitis and was given less than a two percent chance of survival. She not only survived, but she also went on to earn snowboarding medals in the Paralympics and compete on Dancing with the Stars. This book is the tale of her amazing journey.

Creating strengths-based, community-focused spaces requires relationships and representation on many levels. As we continue to build inclusive and affirming classrooms, please join us in adding more books that celebrate disability culture to your own shelves. Below are some book lists where our team is seeking their own next great reads: