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: August

A Kind of Spark

Author: Elle McNicoll

When 11 year old Addie, who is autistic, learns about the 16th century women who were persecuted for witchcraft, she starts to lobby for a local memorial in her small Scottish village. With the help of a new girl at school, she fights valiantly against injustice and oppression.

Blogs and articles on disability and books

Creating inclusive bookshelves: Why diversity matters 18/07/2022

Do your school library shelves represent all the children who use them? Esther Brown at...
Selective Mutism - What I learnt while writing my new book Call Me Lion 09/06/2022

Children’s Author, Camilla Chester, discusses the research process for her book, Call M...

Find more Bookmark blogs

'There is still a stigma around dyslexia'

Emily Rowland illustration of boy reading at home

Parent and author Malcolm Duffy explores the topic

Malcolm Duffy talks about his oldest daughter's diagnosis of dyslexia in secondary school, and why the condition is at the forefront of the prize-winning author's third novel, Read Between the Lines.

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.