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.

For more information about Bookmark, contact BookTrust's disability consultant Alexandra Strick.

Bookmark Book of the Month: January

Not If I Can Help It

Author: Carolyn Mackler

There are certain things you cannot tell anyone, even your closest friends. At least that is the way 11-year-old Willa feels about the fact that she lives with a sensory processing disorder. An accessible, well-paced and engaging coming-of-age story with a casually inclusive cast and a perfectly loveable and perfectly flawed young protagonist.

Blogs and articles on disability and books

Embracing our differences: Writing about an invisible disability 03/01/2022

Carolyn Mackler's son had a sensory processing disorder when he was a child. That exper...
Meet Edie Eckhart, comedian Rosie Jones' new children's character: 'People with disabilities absolutely deserve to be the hero of the story' 02/12/2021

Edie Eckhart is funny, brave and brilliant, and just happens to have cerebral palsy. Ro...

Find more Bookmark blogs

Books with positive images of disability

See the 12 best of the year

Here are children's books useful for discussing disability and inclusive issues with young readers.

Mental Health

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

Click here

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

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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).

Get books and resources for special schools

Find out more about Spark

Spark is a programme for special schools based in England, designed to inspire a love of stories and books in children with additional needs.

Resources for special educational needs

Special School Library Pack 2021-22 welcome guide

This guide is designed to support the books with a variety of ideas and advice to help you make the most of each title.
Special School Library Pack Posters 2021-22

Special School Library Pack posters 2020-21 for your classroom or library.