Writers Against Racism: Main Characters with Disabilities and Differences

I’m sending major kudos to the fine folks

over at Bank Street Bookstore for compiling this fantastic book list.  All of the main characters in these books have some sort of disability, which is a great way to teach students how to learn about differences. Wouldn’t these be excellent suggestions for teachers to add to their summer reading list for all levels of learners?

  Recommending the perfect book for every child is their tagline and comes via their website:

Best Friend on Wheels This is one of the few books to portray a close frienship between a child with a disability and one without a disability. …  $15.95  Mama Zooms Perfect for toddlers and preschoolers who are just noticing differences among people they encounter, Mama Zooms …  $4.99  Out of My Mind “‘Melody, if you had to choose, which would you rather be able to do–walk or talk?’ Talk. I pointed to my board. I hit the word again …  $16.99   Sale – $15.29  Susan Laughs While brief text describes Susan and the things she likes to do, lively illustrations reveal that Susan is a bright, saucy child. …  $17.99  Kami and the Yaks Kami lives in the Himalaya Mountains. His family are Sherpas, and his father and older brother, …  $9.95  Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key “At school they say I’m wired bad, or wired mad, or wired sad, or wired glad, depending on my mood …  $5.99  Moses Goes to a Concert Moses and his classmates are going on a field trip to attend a concert. They are deaf, so they hold balloons on their laps to help them …  $6.95  Keep Your Ear on the Ball Davey is new in school. He is blind, and lots of well-intentioned kids offer to do things for him. …  $16.95  Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree Of her fellow seventh graders, Emma-Jean Lazarus thinks “their behavior was often irrational. …  $6.99  Thing about Georgie (The) The thing about Georgie is that he’s a dwarf. But that’s far from the only thing about Georgie. …  $5.99 

I encourage you to visit their site and sift through the multitude of links on the lefthand sidebar. There’s wide array of categories from culture – to weather – to cuisine…a truly diverse collection to choose from!!!  (comes via my colleague and learning specialist, Kathryn Carlson)