Like we mentioned in the previous post about our new 2019/2020 Multicultural Children’s Book Day Classroom Kit-Understand and Celebrate our Differences, we encountered more amazing books on these topics than we had room for in the final Kit!
- ADHD
- Allergies
- Anxiety/Separation Anxiety
- Asthma
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- Cancer
- Charcot Marie Tooth
- Cerebral Palsy
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Deaf/Partial Hearing Loss
- Degenerative Diseases
- Diabetes
- Disfiguration
- Down Syndrome
- Dyslexia
- Epilepsy
- Glasses
- Limb Differences
- Mental Illness
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Osteogenesis Imperfecta
- Person with Albinism
- Person with Brain Injury
- Physical Disabilities involving Walking
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Prosthetic Implants
- Sensory Processing
- Someone Who Uses a Wheelchair
- Someone with an Alcohol Problem
- Someone with Dwarfism
- Spinal Disorders
- Speech and Language Difficulties
- Tourette Syndrome
- Visual Impairment
So instead of not sharing all of these wonderful book recommends within the already robust kit, we thought we would share them as a bonus Kidlit Books that Share Physical and Developmental Challenges. Below is “Part 2” of this project and “Part 1” can be found here.
Autism
No One Needed to Know by D.G. Driver
Heidi’s older brother, Donald, is 16 and autistic. She has always loved playing with him, but now she’s 11 and her life is changing. She’s embarrassed to have her brother around and doesn’t want her friends to know about him. High school boys bully him. When the kids at her school find out about him, she gets bullied too.
Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskin
This book is the rare YA book that addresses the subject of autism. Caitlin has Asperger’s. The world according to her is black and white; anything in between is confusing. Before, when things got confusing, Caitlin went to her older brother, Devon, for help. But Devon was killed in a school shooting, and Caitlin’s dad is so distraught that he is just not helpful. Caitlin wants everything to go back to the way things were, but she doesn’t know how to do that. Then she comes across the word closure–and she realizes this is what she needs. And in her search for it, Caitlin discovers that the world may not be so black and white after all.
Chronic Illness
Tiger Livy by Erin Garcia and Betsy Miller
This book is about dealing with a serious, chronic illness as a young child. Tiger Livy” is the story of a brave six-year-old who inspires empathy, patience, and grit in young readers. It was created for children struggling with chronic illness.
Livy is a vibrant, clever little girl who usually loves to play and pounce like a tiger. That is until one day when she unexpectedly gets very sick. Now Livy isn’t able to play the same, she doesn’t feel like herself, and some of her friends treat her differently.
Finding inspiration from her favorite feline, Livy transforms her mindset and takes on the monumental task of mentally and emotionally healing from chronic illness.
Epilepsy
Sometimes I Get the Wiggles — Be an Epilepsy Seizure Hero! by Andee Cooper
Kannon is a little boy with a form of epilepsy that sometimes gives him the wiggles, and when that happens, just like Jell-O, his whole body jiggles. Kannon would very much like to go to school with everyone else his age, but he worries his condition might scare the other children away. After much thought, he comes up with an idea to enlist and train all of his classmates as Seizure Heroes as a way of helping his teacher and his fellow students see him through each school day. Based on a true story and written by Kannon’s mother.
Explaining Mental Illness to Kids
The Face at the Window by Regina Hanson
This is best for mid to upper elementary as it is about lady kids are afraid of and think she is evil until the girl’s mom explains that she has a mental illness and her “mind plays tricks on her.”
“Hidden Disabilities” (food allergies, anxiety, depression)
(depression) The Colour Thief by Andrew Peters and Molly Peters
A child recounts his experience of losing his father to depression in this poignant and beautifully illustrated picture book. The boy’s father disappears into a world without color. As the father seeks help, color begins to reappear and with it hope. An ideal book for parents and caregivers to share with children to help them make sense of the devastating effects that depression can cause.
(anxiety) Please Explain Anxiety to Me! By Laurie Zelinger
This book translates anxiety from the jargon of psychology into concrete experiences that children can relate to. Children and their parents will understand the biological and emotional components of anxiety responsible for the upsetting symptoms they experience. Please Explain Anxiety to Me, 2nd Edition gives accurate physiological information in child-friendly language. A colorful dinosaur story explains the link between brain and body functioning, followed by practical therapeutic techniques that children can use to help themselves.
The Worry Woo Series by Dr. John Irvine
Determining whether your child is frustrated is not as simple as saying If you re frustrated and you know it clap your hands! Often the problem is covered up by temper tantrums, sulkiness, acting out and tears. So what is a parent to do? Wearing his psychological cape “Superhero”, Child-Psychologist, Dr. John Irvine, has come to save the day! With his new book Helping Young Children Manage Frustration & Anger, the respected Australian icon has come to the aid of distraught parents and educators. Dr. John has accomplished this by teaming up with WorryWoo creator, Andi Green, to create their second companion book to her WorryWoo Monster series. This time educator/ psychologist, Irvine , concentrates on Twitch, The Monster of Frustration. He begins by explaining that frustration cannot be pigeonholed into a one size fits all classification. Instead, Dr. Irvine explains how each child may display a different set of behaviors. To find out if your child is frustrated, the author has devised a series of behavioral assessment questions. Once you have completed these and determined which type of Twitch you re dealing with, you ‘re on your way to making use of the given exercises for his/her specific needs. Subtitled A practical guide for parents and educators to help their little Twitches, this book presents delightful drawings, fun exercises and competent information for parents and teachers. It offers an opportunity to see your child in a different light, deal with minor issues before they become problems, and most importantly, creates a positive shared experience!
Physical Disabilities involving Walking
Hip, Hop, Hooray for Brooklynn! by Jill Harold
This book is about having fun working toward movement goals while wearing an orthopedic (clubfoot) brace, This upbeat story is about Brooklynn, a little bunny who loves to hop. Brooklynn wears a brace at night, but she is determined to learn how to hop rope in time for the Hippity Hop Games. Armed with hop rope rhymes and a can-do attitude, Brooklynn shows that persistence pays off and can be a lot of fun.
What book recommends would you like to share?
The Author/Platinum Sponsorship July Flash Sale has BEGUN!
It’s time!
Back by popular demand is our MCBD 2020 Author Sponsorship July Flash Sale! And this year, we are throwing in a special deal on Platinum Level Sponsorships as well (limit of 3)!
Planning for MCBD2020 is already underway and we can’t help being in awe as to how far this non-profit initiative has come.
Mission: Raise awareness for children’s books that celebrate diversity by getting more of these books into classrooms and libraries. Multicultural Children’s Book Day is celebrated on the last Friday of January. 2020 will be our 7th year and our much-anticipated Twitter Party on the day of the celebration grows bigger (and more fun!) every year.
From October through February, Multicultural Children’s Book Day is especially active on social media and the buzz surrounding this event gets national even global support and recognition. The whirlwind that is Multicultural Children’s Book Day is a proven way to get books into the hands of young readers while also raising awareness with parents, caregivers, teachers, and librarians.
We know Author Sponsorship is an amazing and powerful way for Authors to get visibility and readership for their work. Last year’s July Flash Sale was huge success and authors and publisher appreciated the cost savings.
NOTE: Medallion Level Sponsorship options for MCBD2020 (1/31/20) will be available by September 1, 2019…but in the meantime…
