Diversity in Children's Literature

"International Symbol of Access." Image source: wikipedia

The books on this page include people both real and fictional with a variety of disabilities.

Search Tips:

• Be specific! Try searching for the name of a specific disability: blindness, autism, etc. Broad categories can work well too, eg., "physical disabilities." Just searching for "disabilities" often doesn't pull many relevant results, especially for picture books.
• Search the TMC in Collection Discovery: Disabilities in Picture Books to find picture books featuring main characters with various disabilities. There is also a young adult-level Collection on Autobiographies by Authors with Disabilities.
  • You can use books directly from the lists, or use the topics you see as inspiration for keywords and subjects to find more!

What are joyful affirmation books? Since many books relating to diversity speak to challenges and conflict, it is important to also point to books that celebrate joy of identity, self-esteem, and self-confidence. These Joyful Affirmations books provide some examples.