Welcome all!
It is time that I update this list. Now I have a complete list of ALL of my inclusive books that you can get when subscribing here. But this is a list that everyone can benefit from. Teaching children about disabilities is a necessity. People with disabilities are all around us and it’s a natural part of life. People with disabilities are at our schools are in our neighborhoods are living in our community and to dismiss them as a whole person is wrong. If you teach your children about people that are different than them then they will be more understanding when there are accommodations that they don’t need, they will be more kind when someone is struggling and needs help and maybe they’ll even stand up to a bully, who wasn’t taught how to treat people with kindness. you got this.
One of my favorite ways to teach all of these values is through reading.
We read many, many books in our house. I strongly believe books are the BEST way to get the ball rolling. Books can start the discussion of why do people look different, why are they responding that way, what would you do in this situation?
The books below is just the tip of the iceberg. There are SO MANY books out there now that discuss inclusion. But these books are some of my favorite beginner books. These books all have characters with a wide variety of representation and discuss valuing each other's differences.
Have a book I need to add? Comment below!
This post contains affiliate links. I earn a very small commission on purchases you make using my recommendations at no cost to you! Thank you for your support.
Let's get to the list.
Click on the title or picture to be redirected to Amazon (I strongly suggest you go to bookshop.org or your local bookstore but I know Amazon is easy and I am an affiliate so here we are).
This book is new this year and was written by Tiffany Hammond, also known as, @fidgets.and.fries on instagram and oh my god. Brilliant. The lesson, the examples, the story with no words, is beautiful. If you have not purchased this book yet, what are you waiting for?!
I worked with the deafblind community for years. My first job as a one on one aide was with a student who is deafblind and I fell in love with the community. People who are deafblind so quickly get put into this box that they will never be independent or successful, but boy is that mindset dangerously wrong. However, once I started working in the field, I realized there is very little deafblind representation in books! To fix the problem, I wrote a book. Tyler the Snake is a snake who is deafblind and is bringing you with them on their walk to class. Tyler introduces you to his friends with a variety of disabilities and goes over different ways to communicate with people. 5 out of 5 starts. No biases over here.
3. Everyone Belongs (By Heather Avis who also wrote Different A Great Thing to be-another great book)
I am a huge fan girl of Heather Avis. I own all 4 of her books, 2 adults and 2 children's, and absolutely love them. Her view on the world is beautiful and her voice is phenomenal. Her most recent book Everyone Belongs is such a great example of how working together and being creative, we can find ways for everyone to be included in the fun!
This author is another favorite of mine and I can't wait for her next book that I am assuming is on the way! Jessica Parham has written two children's books and we love both of them so very much. Her first book is this one, Good to Be Me. So much representation in this book! Different cultures, different bodies, different abilities. It's got it all! Her second book, Baking Up A Storm is also amazing and it rhymes. I love rhymes.
Now this group is a women run business and they are amazing. These are other books that we bought two sets of and destroyed are first set from reading them so much. They are board books and just so so good. So much representation of REAL people! These books are pricey, but worth every penny. They just came out with new books and I can't wait to get my hands on them!
If you are looking for a book to show how children with disabilities like to play and be included with their peers? THIS IS FOR YOU! Now this book is not on Amazon but worth every penny. It shoes a variety of disabilities and adaptations for everyone to play together. Isn't that what all kids want?? YES!!
I am huge on body positivity and sex education for children (which at a young age means, talking about your body, consent, public and private places, etc. - check out my sex ed blog post for more books/info about that). But this book is my favorite and it blows my mind how uncomfortable this books makes adults. There are naked bodies, children and adults, of all shapes and sizes and abilities. This book is a MUST!!
The Curiosities is a beautifully written story with a metaphor to express the pros and cons of a person's curiosities. It's a great story of how one person might feel day to day with their curiosities, why some days they get frustrated and some days they feel calm and how some days people don't understand.
We use the language from this book a lot in our house. Kids love to stare but boy does it make people uncomfortable. This book gives you some language about what to do instead of staring, like say hello! What I love about this book (spoiler alert) is that it also gives the bear a place to stare!
A classic. This book is one that many know as a great example of an inclusive book. Instead of focusing on a disability or cultural difference, this book gives children different pets. A pet party is planned in the neighborhood and on the sign it says "Strictly No Elephants." The conversations you can have with this book can range from empathy, asking how that sign might make the child feel, to inclusion, discussing what we should do when someone is excluded.
Bonus book!
This is a story about a kid who made a difference. This one girl's fight for inclusion made laws change. What a great lesson of self-advocacy, embedded ableism is the system, and how kids can make change!! You can also listen to a read aloud here!
So here it is. My personal Top 10 (+1) favorite books to teach #inclusion to children. Books not only help educate children but also give us adults the language we need when we are at a loss for words. The Bear who stared helped me through my first encounter with my toddler staring at people at the store. I mentioned the bear who stared and asked her what we could do differently. I gave some suggestions, such as, wave, say hi, or smile and she chose one and we continued on through out our day.
Books are so easy to pop in throughout your day and can teach your children (and you) so much! What children books have you learned from? What books do I need to add to my Amazon cart?
Inclusion starts with you and I just want to help!
Happy Reading :)
Kayla
xx
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