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This is a great book about a young girl who lives on a farm with her family, but is blind.  Each child has a chore that they attend to on a daily basis, but on her day off she goes off to be with her horse.  The author doesn't say that Mandy is blind, but gives hints that she has a disability.  I like this book because with her disability not mentioned, the reader can form a relationship with the character without any judgement.  It teaches children a really great lesson about not judging people and that all people are the same with or without a disability.  The pictures are great and the author's use of the different senses gives a real insight to what Mandy's life is like.  This book could be used for a lesson on the five senses or giving children insight to different disabilities.

This book is about a girl named Lauretta who is confined to a wheelchair. She is tired of her old, ratty wheelchair and dreams of getting a new one. Lauretta's mom surprises her one day by taking her to get a new wheelchair. Lauretta tries out numerous models, but none of them are fast enough for her. Then, she spots a 92-speed dirt-bike wheelchair that she just has to have. Graciously, Lauretta's mom buys it for her. One day when Lauretta was trying out her new wheelchair, she gets a speeding ticket. When her parents find out about the ticket, they insist  the wheelchair be returned. However, when her brother has an accident, Lauretta's fast, new wheelchair saves the day. Zoom shows that children with disabilities can do anything, and sometimes even more, than someone who has no disabilities. This would be a good book to recommend to a student with a disability who is having trouble accepting their disability.

"Rolling Along" is a story about a young boy named Taylor who was born with cerebral palsy, causing him to have trouble walking. Taylor is a bright optimistic boy. In this story we follow him through his daily schedule and experience the excitement of his first wheelchair. This book promotes the importance for accomodations in public places for people who use wheelchairs, shows that being disabled is not a downfall in life, and that anything is possible with a little love, understanding, and compassion. "Rolling Along" is a great educational book for young readers. Most children have never had much experience with people who are "different" from the everyday child, and a book like this would help them understand and accept those who may have a disability.

"Rolling Along" is a story about a young boy named Taylor who was born with cerebral palsy, causing him to have trouble walking. Taylor is a bright optimistic boy. In this story we follow him through his daily schedule and experience the excitement of his first wheelchair. This book promotes the importance for accomodations in public places for people who use wheelchairs, shows that being disabled is not a downfall in life, and that anything is possible with a little love, understanding, and compassion. "Rolling Along" is a great educational book for young readers. Most children have never had much experience with people who are "different" from the everyday child, and a book like this would help them understand and accept those who may have a disability.

"Accidents of Nature" is a very touching story about a girl with Cerebral Palsy. This book is more suitable for young adults because of its language and references to sex and communism. Jean has gone to a Normal school all her life and one summer goes to a cripple camp when she is seventeen. Jean meets many other people with disabilites and experiences life like she never has before. She befriends a very outspoken girl named Sara, who envisions equality for people with disabilities and introduces her own human rights movement. Jean spends ten days coming to terms with her disability and leaves with a new outlook on life. Through Jean's eyes you are truly able to see what it is like to have a disability and feel the rollercoaster of emotions that she experiences.

This book showcases six extraordinary children with disabilities and shows that they are ordinary kids like everyone else. It helps other kids know that these kids have similar interests as them. This book is good for children with disabilities and without disabilities. It broadens kids ideas about different kids other than themselves. It's also informs the children about different types of disabilites.

This book is part of a series called, Hank Zipzer, The World's Greatest Underachiever. The author Henry Winkler wrote this book based on his own experiences in school. He was diagnosed as having a learning disability known as dyslexia. Hank Zipzer is smart, creative and funny. He tries to do really well in school but for some reason always seems to get into trouble. This is a great book that children with learning disabilities can relate to. The age range it is aimed for can be a difficult age for children to deal with their differences. This is a book that all kids will enjoy.

My Brother Matthew, by Mary Thompson, is a great book about a young boy, David, and his autistic brother, Matthew.  Matthew was born with autism and at first David is very upset by all the extra attention Matthew gets. Eventually, David loves playing with Matthew, he makes him laugh and they go on great adventures together.  David is even sometimes an interpreter for his parents because Matthew's speech is often hard to decifer. David and Matthew have a wonderfull relationship and is an inspiration to children with disabilities. This book is all around perfect, it explores the what its like to have an autistic sibling in an understanding and compassionate manner.  (the author is from State College)

Top 10 Physically Challenged Athletes was written by Jeff Savage. The book is a wonderful piece of literature that would be great in any classroom. The book goes behind the scenes and looks into the lives of 10 athletes that are at the top of their game. The book is a great piece to show students that anything is possible and disabilities can be over come.

A beloved classic of children's literature, The Secret Garden, tells an inspirational tale of transformation and empowerment. Mary Lennox, a sickly and contrary little girl, is orphaned to dim prospects in a gloomy English manor - her only friend is a bed-ridden boy named Colin whose prospects may be dimmer than hers. But when Mary finds the key to a Secret Garden, the magical powers of transformation fall within her reach. This stories strength is that it givs great confidence to chidren with dissabilities and is a great portrayal of what a child with a special need goes through. From a teachers point of view, I think it would be a great choice of a chapter book to read because it can teach children a good deal of information. This book is available at Barnes&Noble. Enjoy (;

Adam, who has dyslexia, is not alone when he looks for escape from the terrible task of learning to read. His difficulties cause change in behavior, frustration and a number of other problems. Parents and other adults sometimes do not know what to do, which can make the situation worse. It is not a matter of trying harder, but of having opportunities to participate in good activities. This book explains how children with dyslexia can get help once their disability is diagnosed. It is written in an easy to read format but is much like a what-to-do handbook. It is a good selection for children to read or have read to them. This book is available at Barnes&Noble. Enjoy (;

Thank you Mr. Falker is an autobiography by Patricia Polacco. For those who know and love the books of Patricia Polacco, you might be surprised to read this book and find out how difficult it was for her to learn to read as a child. Because of her wonderful teacher, Mr. Falker, who never gave up on her, she began to feel smart and capable as she learned to read.

My sister is a very honest and emotional book about a boy and his younger sister, who has mental retardation. The boy has kind and warm feelings toward his sister, but he often resents the attention she gets and wishes that he could have more time with his parents. The book is a bit dated, having been published in 1977, but the feelings of the boy are quite moving and poignant. The story is told in simple and reflective language, and the reader can't help but see the many issues that this book raises. I would recommend this book to all teachers, for it really helps children to understand that they should not feel guilty or shy about asking adults for positive attention, and it could help adults to see how much children need our compassion and respect.