Category: The Kids Are All Right

This beautifully written book is accompanied by the sweetest illustrations. Two train passengers find courage in the hats they wear and befriend each other. Together they complete the journey and learn that traveling is always better with a companion.

There’s a train for every letter in the alphabet in this fun book that’s perfect for the train obsessed!

This was one of my kids’ favorite books to read when they were young. Available in a sturdy board book format, this wonderful book is great for the littlest readers.

See what train travel was like in the 1800s as a family journeys from Omaha to Sacramento via the newly completed Transcontinental Railroad in 1869. This gorgeously illustrated picture book won a Caldecott medal.

This playful picture book is in direct contrast to Just Ask!. Joe wants to play pirates at the playground, but instead of playing with him, kids keep asking him what happened to his leg, and they won’t stop asking. When they finally do decide to play with him, they all have fun. It turns out it doesn’t really matter why Joe has one leg. What really matters is how much fun it is to be friends. Author James Catchpole, who is also a leg amputee, provides a helpful guide to caregivers in the back about how to respond when their curious children do ask disabled folk, “What happened?”

Disabled author and educator Kristine Napper provides an excellent conversation starter in this intriguingly formatted children’s book. Instead of traditional illustrations, the book uses neat typography and graphic design. The text is an extremely informative and straightforward guide to disability, from basic facts like how many people are disabled, to how to talk to disabled people, to ableism and discrimination disabled folk experience. Napper writes very personally and it feels like a conversation.

This nonfiction picture book chronicles the Mills v. Board of Education of the District of Columbia 1971 case, where the court ruled that schools had to allow and provide accommodations for disabled students. It’s a landmark case in disability history, and the child-friendly illustrations and accessible text make it a great introduction to some of the discrimination disabled people have experienced. It shows how disabled kids can make things change.

This illustrated anthology of biographies about 34 major disabled historical figures is a must for upper elementary and middle school students. The mini bios examine an array of people and their disabilities, from Frida Kahlo to Peter Dinklage to Arunima Sinha. The contemporary illustrations are lovely.

This is delightfully silly take on a very unusual bookstore where the owner only sells books about… books! Read about how to grow books on trees, a town where the clouds rain books, and the once in every five year phenomenon where all the animals can read. I am a huge fan of Yoshitake’s artwork which is filled with humor and heart.

This is a story about a bookstore that began in Harlem in the 1930s. Started by Lewis Michaux Sr., he named it the National Memorial African Bookstore. It became a gathering place for people in the neighborhood as well as people from around the world. It was a special place to share ideas and culture.

Okay, this is not a bookstore book, but it’s so beautiful that I had to include it in this collection. Set during World War II at a War Relocation Center in the Desert, Tama works in the prison camp’s tiny library. There she meets George who waits by the entrance every morning with an armful of books. Tama has no idea how he can read so much! Or is he coming for another reason? I just love this book!

Bookstore lovers will surely welcome this sweet bedtime book into their collection. Walk through the end-of-day rituals of a beloved local bookstore – saying goodbye to the customers and saying goodnight to the bookstore cat and the boxes of new arrivals. The illustrations are so sweet and inviting.

This joyful picture book celebrates disabled bodies as they move through a variety of spaces. The vibrant illustrations are accompanied by lyrical, simple prose that shows all types of disabled bodies moving fast, slow, waiting in line, playing, and marching for disability justice. It’s a powerful, lovely read and a call to action for more accessible spaces.

This picture book doesn’t release until August 23rd, but it’s definitely worth pre-ordering! Written by #DisabledAndCute founder Keah Brown, it tells the story of a little girl with cerebral palsy finding the perfect back-to-school outfit, and finding the perfect place to rest. When I interviewed Keah Brown for a piece I’m writing for School Library Journal, she told me how her impetus for writing this was the lack of disabled Black joy in her childhood reading (and not much has changed since).

All four books in Samantha Cotterill’s Little Senses series center a joyful experience for a child on the autism spectrum. In this one, two children play trains together, but when one child has trouble relegating and reading emotions, it could ruin playtime. With a bit of coaching from his mom, what could’ve been a disaster turns into lots of fun.

I’m a musical fiend and I cannot say enough good things about this delightful middle grade by disabled Broadway star Ali Stroker! 14-year-old Nat Beacon has moved, and while her dad wants her to join the wheelchair racing team, Nat wants to do something of her own, like theater. When she tries out for Wicked, she lands a part, but a fire might shut down the play. Stroker also has a new picture book that recently released, Ali and the Sea of Stars, which also centers disabled joy.

Anna Walker is one of my favorite illustrators, and this picture book is so charming! Lottie goes to swim lessons every Saturday, but she never gets into the pool because she’s convinced a shark wants to eat her up. Then Walter appears, and he likes singing and reading books and bubble baths. Can their friendship encourage Lottie to face her fears?

I know fans of graphic novels will be thrilled to pick up Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas. This is the story of Bree who starts a new school where she’s forced to take swim lessons. Bree hates the water and does everything she can to avoid class until she learns that her neighbor Etta was a former swim captain and is willing to give Bree lessons. As she grows in confidence, Bree joins the swim team and finds friendship among her relay team.

Fans of Hena Khan’s Amina’s Voice and Jasmine Warga’s Other Words for Home will love Unsettled! When her dad gets a job in America, Nurah has to adjust to life in Peachtree City. She finds solace in the pool where she wants to win medals like her brother. But when she is complicit in an attack on her brother, Nurah has to re-examine what kind of person she wants to be.

Thirteen-year-old Annabelle feels at home in the water. She’s the fastest swimmer on the middle school swim team, and when she’s asked to join the high school team, she is thrilled. But as she abandons her old friends for new ones, and then she gets caught in a prank gone wrong, Annabelle finds herself lost. This is a lovely coming-of-age story that I think so many young teens will relate to.

This interactive picture book is a lot of fun to read to kids. Doug is a happy kid who doesn’t like hugs. And that’s fine! Some people do, and some people don’t. How do you know the difference? You ask. I love this book’s emphasis on asking and how it demonstrates how to ask and various ways to respond.

Rissy the lovebird does not like kisses, but all lovebirds like kisses, right? Rissy worries there might be something wrong with her, but with her mother’s support, she realizes she is perfectly valid not to enjoy kisses and can show her love in other ways. This rhyming picture book flows really well and gets requested quite a bit at my house!

This board book is an excellent one to have on hand in preschool and daycare settings, and also for starting conversations with caregivers and young children. In clear language and dialogue, this book shows what consent means, how to ask for consent, and how to respond when asked for consent. It has advice for caregivers in the back.

While this picture book doesn’t discuss consent, it’s my favorite body-positive children’s book. Children need to love and embrace their bodies to be able to have the confidence to stand up for their bodies, and this rhythmic picture book will have kids singing about how their bodies are cool. I love the diversity of bodies represented. It’s a joyful, beautiful book.

This beautiful picture book tells the story of extraordinary human Yo-Yo Ma, who picked up the cello at age four and honed his amazing talent over decades. His music became a reflection of his own life between borders, cultures, disciplines, and generations. On April 13, 2019, as part of his multi-continent “Bach Project” tour, he performed at the US-Mexico border at the Rio Grande to prove a point—through music, we can build bridges rather than walls between different cultures.

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is an immigration policy that has provided relief to thousands of undocumented children, referred to as “Dreamers,” who came to the United States as children and call this country home. This is the true story of Areli Morales, a Dreamer whose DACA application was eventually approved and what her life was like leading up to being an American citizen.

This gorgeous picture book tells the story of Tyrus Wong, a young man who traveled from China to America with only a suitcase and a few papers. He then did everything he could to pursue art, eventually taking a job as a janitor while enrolling at an art institute in Los Angeles. He ended up working for Disney and came up with the iconic backgrounds of Bambi. The art in this book is stunning, especially that last spread.

This is the story of a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court (the Supreme Court has been in the news a lot lately). When American-born Wong Kim Ark returns home to San Francisco after a visit to China, he’s stopped and told he cannot enter: he isn’t American. After being imprisoned on a ship for months, Wong Kim Ark challenges the Supreme Court for his right to be an American citizen and won, confirming birthright citizenship for all Americans.

This picture book is an absolute blast to read with kids. Like The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish (which is also an absolute delight), children can sing along to the popular song with drag queen variations on the actions. So instead of clapping hands, kids can blow kisses, and instead of stomping feet, kids can shake their bums, my 4-year-old’s favorite.

This picture book is hilarious, about a gay couple with 456 chickens. That’s right, 456. Mr. Watson loves the chickens, but Mr. Nelson has had enough with the feathered chaos. They decide to take the chickens to the market to sell, where one chicken in particular uses her powerful voice to find a unique new home for all the chickens. However, the couple soon misses their chickens, but thankfully a surprise awaits them at home. This book gets big belly laughs from my daughter!

This super sweet bedtime book features two moms trying to gently get their imaginative child back in bed. But this child is a master of stalling. On each page spread, the child compares their bed to the bed of an animal. It’s a playful, sweet book that I’m sure many parents and children will relate to.

Trinity, who is Black, transgender, and autistic, longs for hair that better represents her identity. With the help of her mother and brother, Trinity’s rainbow hair dreams come true. I love how supportive the family in this is.

I love all of Linda Sue’s books, but this one holds a special place in my heart. My family listened to this as an audiobook while on a road trip many years ago, and I still remember being so absorbed in the story as we traveled mile after mile. Set in 12th century Korea, an orphan struggles to pay off his debt to a master potter.

I adore heavily illustrated books, and this one is a winner. The story begins when a teacher asks her class what one thing they would save in an emergency. This sets off a very lively discussion about what each person holds dear.

This cheerful book about a young girl helping her mom make bee-bim bop is one of my favorite picture books! I love how this story walks the reader through all the steps of preparing a delicious meal. A recipe is included!

This picture book is hilarious. Two dads desperately try to organize their children for a cleaning session before grandma comes by listing everything that needs to be done on the refrigerator using magnetic letters. Upon hearing that a bath is in order, the cat not so helpfully rearranges all the letters leading to hilarious consequences. My daughter requests this picture book so much, and I love that it has two gay dads without it being “about” having two dads.

Every morning, my daughter and husband go to a nearby park and find lots of fun things to explore in nature, which is one reason why I love this picture book. I also love how the dad lets his daughter explore some by herself, though, as the vibrant illustrations show, he’s keeping a close eye on her even if she doesn’t realize it! This book is really lovely, from the lyrical prose to the gorgeous illustrations.

If you have a kid that will be learning how to ride a bike soon, this is a must! In rhythmic prose, a dad teaches his daughter how to ride a bike. There are falls, but the girl gets back up and keeps trying. One of our local librarians recently gave us a bike her stepdaughter had outgrown, so we’re definitely going to be reading this a lot in the future!

This beautiful picture book is a lyrical ode to cities and all their hidden beauty. A visually impaired girl and her father spend a day exploring their city. They go to a playground, a community garden, and an outdoor concert where the little girl plays the violin. It’s clear these are places the two go to often. I love the incidental disability representation in this one.