Bookmark: disability and books

Looking for information on disability and children's books? Bookmark is full of advice and book recommendations for families, teachers, librarians, authors and publishers.

Bookmark Book of the Month: December

Listening to the Quiet

Author: Cassie Silva Illustrator: Frances Ives

A beautiful and thought-provoking picture book about a mum losing her hearing.

Blogs and articles on disability and books

The truth about disabled characters in children's books 04/07/2023

Author James Catchpole shares his thoughts about how disabled characters are portrayed ...
Why schools need inclusive books 15/02/2023

The Boy With The Butterfly Mind author Victoria Williamson explains why including books...

Find more Bookmark blogs

The importance of dyslexic characters

An illustration from the front cover of Thunderboots - a girl standing with her hands on her hips, her hair in bunches and wearing tights, a leotard with a lightning bolt on it and lightning bolt boots as well as a cape

Children need positive portrayals of dyslexia in books

Thunderboots author Naomi Jones explains the difference it can make when dyslexic children are represented in a positive light in books.

Mental Health

Explore our carefully-chosen booklists, blogs, and resources to promote mental health and wellbeing in children and adults.

Visit the mental health hub

Woman and pre-school boy reading together

In this section

Bookmark advice for:

Illustration of a deaf mother with her deaf child

Families, teachers and librarians

Advice on how to find inclusive books and why positive images of disability matter.

Take a look

and

Illustration of a disabled child playing with their dog

Writers, illustrators and publishers

Top tips on including positive images of disability in books, and what else the publishing industry can do to help.

Take a look

A photo of a child reading braille - only the child's hands and the pages can be seen

Creating accessible library story times

Get top tips on creating accessible story times in your library for children and caregivers who are blind or partially sighted, with fantastic advice and pointers from the RNIB.

Explore the guide

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Free books for children with additional needs

Bookstart extra packs

Our Bookstart programme gives free books to children under five with additional needs, whether your child is deaf (Bookshine), blind/partially sighted (Booktouch) or has a condition affecting their fine motor skills (Bookstart Star).