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: June

Just Like Me

Author: Louise Gooding Illustrator: Caterina delli Carri and Angel Chang and Cathy Hookey and Melissa Iwai

The author (who has ADHD) sets out to prove to neurodivergent (and all) children that you can overcome any potential limitations of a label. This glorious anthology encourages us to celebrate uniqueness and recognise our potential to achieve.

Blogs and articles on disability and books

So what's normal? Why we need to challenge stereotypes and celebrate ALL our differences 01/06/2021

Louise Gooding talks about her debut book, being a neurodivergent author and why we sho...
Rose Robbins: Why Striving to be Normal is a Waste of Time 05/05/2021

LOUD! author-illustrator Rose Robbins shares her experiences of neurodiversity and how ...

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 2019-20 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.
Creating a spark with Professional Crocodile

This Spark resource uses Professional Crocodile by Giovanna Zoboli and Mariachiara Di Giorgio as a springboard for a ...