The children's books in this collection are all brilliant reads and feature, as a main protagonist, a character with a disability. 

According to Scope, 8% of children in the UK have a disability; this may be an obvious physical disability or one that is hidden - and 10% of children in the UK live in a family with at least one disabled child.

Every child and teenager should be able to fulfil their potential and have the confidence to succeed as they grow up. But disabled children and their families face daily challenges that make life harder.

It isn't always easy to find books for children that reflect this reality but we can guarantee the books in this collection are positive stories, with credible characters that tackle issues of inclusivity.

3+ / 5+ Readers

In Giraffe and a Half by Nicola Kent, Giraffe is different to look at. She has six legs and 3 ears. Both are useful and she is happy having extra legs for crunching through leaves and extra ears for listening to birdsong. But she is not happy that when she is out playing with other animals they make her feel an outsider.

Everything changes when the seeker in a game of hide-and-seek played by an exuberant flock of beautifully multi-coloured birds discovers her hiding behind a tree. Just as Giraffe is a giraffe and a half so the bird is a bird and a half. She has three wings and three legs.

When Giraffe explains that no one wants to play with her because she is different, the bird offers excellent advice: ‘Just show yourself off to the world./ Be Proud and Strong and Brave and Bold’. It’s a powerful message for Giraffe and also for all readers.

7+ Readers

And I Climbed, And I Climbed is an outstanding debut poetry collection by Stephen Lightbown drawing on his own personal experiences as a wheelchair user. Eight-year-old Cosmo has been left paralysed following an accident after a fall from a tree, and in poems that are direct and immediate, he describes his thoughts and feelings about what he’s going through. Many of them are addressed to the tree, others describe moments with his family, other people’s reactions, his own rage and frustration at what’s happened. How can Cosmo come to terms with, and adapt to, this seismic change in his life? Is his life as he knew it gone? Could there be new possibilities ahead, and also new abilities that Cosmo doesn't yet know he possesses? And will the tree ever reply to his number one question: why?

9+ Readers

Aoife Dooley is an Irish autistic author and illustrator who writes with authority, empathy and humour about the world as viewed by Frankie. Frankie believes she is an alien; she is the smallest person in her class – and she is accused of talking too much! But really all she is different – neurodivergent, though it is not until nearly the end of the book that Frankie gets an insight into why she views things differently. Drawn in a very simple two-colour cartoon style it is easily accessible across a range of readers. Frankie's World is highly recommended for all readers offering perspective on autism whilst maintaining care and affection for the protagonists.

11+ Readers

Billy Plimpton is an eleven-year-old boy with a big dream. He wants to be a stand-up comedian when he grows up, a tough career for anyone, but surely impossible for Billy, who has a stammer. The idea for The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh came from Helen Rutter's son, who has a stammer: she wanted to write the book that he would love to read, starring a child like him. Both touching and funny this is a brilliant story about being brave, being different and learning that being you is what really matters. 

13+ Readers

Juliet believes girls like her - girls with arthritis - don't get their own love stories. She exists at the edges of her friends' social lives, skipping parties to play online chess under a pseudonym with strangers around the world. There, she isn't just 'the girl with crutches'. Ronan is the new kid: good looking, smart, a bad boy plagued by guilt over what happened to his brother Ciaran. With a thrilling will-they-won’t-they rollercoaster ride of a plot revealing their respective struggles through a compelling dual narrative, The First Move is a romantic YA charmer with tremendous heart and depth.

Factual Reads for Children that Explore Disability

We have also included a few factual titles that explore disability, and prompt discussion and empathy.

Navigate the perils of growing up in Moving On Up, a hilarious and confidence-building guide to friendship, beating the bullies and overcoming cringe-worthy moments - by comedian and bestselling children's writer, Rosie Jones. Rosie has Cerebral palsy and in this book she shares her own experiences of navigating a school setting with the disability. As warm and funny as the author herself, this is a brilliantly accessible guide to growing up.

I Am Not A Label by Cerrie Burnell is an eye-opening, stylish and empowering collection of biographies profiling over 30 disabled creators, thinkers, activists and athletes. As she says in her introduction when she was growing up as a child born with just one hand  “there just weren’t enough books with a disabled protagonist” and “Everyone deserves to see someone like them in a story and achieving something great”.

Scroll for more children's book recommendations that come with the LoveReading4Kids stamp of approval.

We have a separate collections of Children's Books that Feature Autism,  Deaf or Hard of Hearing Characters. and Visual Impairment.