Kids Summer Reading List 2025

Summer reading:11 children's books with disability representation
  May 21, 2025    By CDHD

11 children's books with disability representation

Is there anything better than finding a shady spot on a summer day to read a great book?  We think so! Reading a great book with your kids!

You’ve probably made your way through our previous list of 10 great children’s books featuring characters with disabilities, so we’ve found 11 more to help you whittle away the upcoming summer days.

The books on this list feature main or secondary characters with a disability. Some focus on disability as part of the main plot. Others don’t. And most are written by authors with a disability.

Book cover featuring an illustration in deep blues and bright yellows. It shows two young kids casting shadow puppets in the shape of monsters with their hands.

Monster hands by Jonaz McMillan and Karen Kane
Age group: 3+

This is a tale of two friends who are deaf using rhyming American Sign Language (ASL) to scare away the monster living under Milo’s bed. It explores themes of friendship in a humorous and heartfelt story that creatively celebrates ASL. Not only does it offer bedtime comfort, but it also features an interactive opportunity for all children to learn new signs.

Book cover with a solid red background. It features an illustration of a young girl in black and white. She has pig tails and is wearing a yellow t-shirt, red skirt and polka dot tights. She has tennis shoes on and a backpack filled with things to go on an adventure. She is holding a book with the title Little Red Riding Hood.

Gina Kaminski Saves the Wolf by Craig Barr-Green
Age group:  3+

This take on a classic fairy tale focuses on Gina – a little girl who has autism – as she ventures into fairytale land to save Little Red Riding Hood’s wolf. It explores themes of sensory sensitivity and neurodiversity in a captivating, epic adventure that proves there is no single right way to solve a problem.

Book cover with a light yellow background. It features three young children playing on a playground. One is a little boy with black hair, wearing a green sweatshirt and yellow shorts. He is kicking a soccer ball. In the middle is a little boy with blond hair. He is wearing a red and white striped shirt and only has one leg. He is using crutches. The third is a little girl of color. She has black hair pulled up in two bunson her head. She is wearing a pink top and yellow skirt, and is dancing.

You’re So Amazing! by James and Lucy Catchpole
Age group: 4+

This story is about Joe, a little boy with a limb difference, and his friend Simone as they practice their best playground tricks. It offers a humorous and genuine look at how people react and respond to people with disabilities. It encourages young readers to view disability as people with disabilities do – a normal part of the human experience.

Book cover with a blue background and bold, white text that reads 'A kid's book about disability'. There is a yellow smiling emoji at the bottom.

A Kids Book about Disability by Kristine Napper
Age group: 5+

This book was written as an introduction to the topic of disability for kids. It’s meant for children and adults to read together to open the discourse on this important topic. It offers clear explanations of what disabilities are and how to tackle conversations about them, with easy-to-read and understand text and language. 

Book cover with a black background. It features an illustration of a teen boy of color. He is sitting on the ground, with grass and flowers around him. He is feeling the grass. Behind him are different colorful plants and white line drawings of playground equipment.

A Day with no Words by Tiffany Hammond
Age group: 5+

This New York Times bestseller explores a typical day with Aidan – a boy with autism who uses nonverbal communication. It offers a peek into his struggles and successes, showing that verbal communication isn’t the only way to connect with those around you.  

Book cover with a black background. It features an illustration of two pre-teens looking nervous or concerned. One is a boy of color with dark curly hair and glasses. The other is a girl with long blonde hair. There is a mysterious black house behind them with bare trees all around it. A ghostly figure is floating over the top of the house.

The Odds by Lindsay Puckett
Age group: 8+

This paranormal adventure is about a girl with chronic pain who lives in a magical retirement home. She sets out to find her magical quirk to save the only family she’s ever known. It’s a mischievous story that’s a little bit spooky and a whole lot of fun, while exploring disability, friendship and how our differences can be our strengths. 

Book cover featuring an illustration of many athletes using wheelchairs in a race in front of a stadium full of people. There are flags from countries all over the world. Blue, stylized font shows the title of the book across the middle of the cover. Below the title is a black and white photograph of men and women using wheelchairs while playing basketball

A Sporting Chance by Lori Alexander
Age group: 8+

This biography for young readers tells the story of Ludwig Guttmann: the man who created the Paralymic Games. It not only covers his pioneering work as a doctor and the creation of the games, but it also explores many of the inspiring and notable athletes that have participated. The book includes archival photographs alongside illustrations.

Book cover featuring green and yellow plants and leaves around all sides. Amongst the plants are kids of all ages with different abilities doing different activities, such as ballet, music, talking and wheelchair basketball. At the center the plants disappear and it is white with bright orange letters spelling out the title of the book.

Owning it: Our Disabled Childhoods in Our Own Words edited by James and Lucy Catchpole
Age group: 9+

This anthology is a series of true stories of childhood told by people with disabilities.  It offers a first-hand look at what it’s like to grow up with a disability, with 22 autobiographical short stories from prominent writers within the disability community. It explores themes of isolation, ableism, inclusion, self-acceptance, friendship and more.

Book cover with a bright yellow and blue background. It features illustrations of children of different races and nationalities doing different things such as talking, listening to music and waving. The title of the book runs down the center in big black letters, with the illustrations scattered around it.

How to be Disabled and Proud by Cathy Reay
Age group: 9+

This is an empowering guide that uses humor, honesty and lived experience to offer sage advice to young readers on how to embrace their disability. Cathy Reay draws on her own experiences from childhood, moving from primary to secondary school, to explore themes of self-advocacy, community and confidence. It also features interviews from a range of changemakers with disabilities and friends.  

Book cover with a light blue background. Toward the middle bottom is a photograph of a woman's profile. She is looking up toward the sky with a slight smile. Over her face are colored line drawings of a face in the same style as a Pablo Picasso painting. The title of the book runs in an arc across the top of the cover in stylized white text.

A Face for Picasso: Coming of Age with Crouzon Syndrome by Ariel Henley
Age group: 13+

This young adult memoir follows Ariel Henley and her twin sister Zan who were diagnosed with Crouzon syndrome. This rare condition caused the bones in their heads to fuse prematurely. Ariel tells her story of growing up with facial disfigurement, exploring themes of beauty and identity as well as resilience and sisterhood.

Book cover with a blue background that looks like an ocean. An illustration of a teen boy is floating near the bottom. He is wearing a t-shirt and pants. He is tethered to a white line that connects to his back and runs up toward the top of the book where it swirls all around itself in a tangled mess. There are two gold seals along the left margin. The top is for the National Book Award Winner. The other is the Golden Kite Award Book.

Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman
Age group: 14+

This young adult novel is an oldie but a goodie. It tells the story of a teenage boy’s onset of schizophrenia and is based on the author’s own son. It offers a dual narrative that jumps between metaphorical hallucinations and the main character’s experiences. It’s a powerful coming-of-age exploration of mental illness and the stigmas that surround mental illness.