The Diverse Families bookshelf was created and funded through numerous grants. Due to lack of additional grants and the loss of key personnel, the project has come to an end. We have tremendously enjoyed creating this database and hope that it can help bring readers and books together.

Browse by Health & Disability:

Physical Disability

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Life Happens Next

Terry Trueman

Shawn's got a new perspective on life. But no one has a clue. That's because they can see only his wheelchair, his limp body, his drool. What they don't see? His brain, with perfect auditory memory. And his heart, which is in love with a girl. And his fierce belief that someday someone will realize there's way more to him than his appearance.
Looking Out for Sarah

Glenna Lang

Describes a day in the life of a seeing eye dog, from going with his owner to the grocery store and post office, to visiting a class of school children, and playing ball, and also describes their three-hundred mile walk from Boston to New York.
Look Up!

Jin-Ho Jung and Mi Hyun Kim

When a girl in a wheelchair calls to people far below to look up and see her, one finds a way to brighten her day.
Lots of Grandparents

Shelly Rotner and Sheila M. Kelly

Color photographs show grandparents of different ages, ethnic groups, shapes, and sizes sharing happy times with grandchildren.
Louisiana's Song

Kerry Madden

Set in the Appalachia in 1963, Livy Two has come to terms with the fact that her father is a changed man after being in a coma and so now, along with her eleven-year-old sister, Louisiana, she must find a way to take care of their father and their large mountain family.
Love

Stacy McAnulty

A sweet and simple story about what love is really all about invites children to find love in everyday moments, from baking cookies with a grandparent to receiving notes in a lunchbox.
Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess

Shari Green

Sixth grade is coming to an end, and so is life as Macy McMillan knows it. Already a "For Sale" sign mars the front lawn of her beloved house. Soon her mother will upend their perfect little family, adding a stepfather and six-year-old twin stepsisters. To add insult to injury, what is Macy's final sixth-grade assignment? A genealogy project. Well, she'll put it off - just like those wedding centerpieces she's supposed to be making. Just when Macy's mother ought to be understanding, she sends Macy next door to help eighty-six-year-old Iris Gillan, who is also getting ready to move?in her case into an assisted living facility. Iris can't pack a single box on her own and, worse, she doesn't know sign language. How is Macy supposed to understand her? But Iris has stories to tell, and she isn't going to let Macy's deafness stop her. Soon, through notes and books and cookies, a bond grows between them. And this friendship, odd and unexpected, may be just what Macy needs to face the changes in her life.
Mama Zooms

Jane Cown-Fletcher

A boy's wonderful mama takes him zooming everywhere with her, because her wheelchair is a zooming machine.
Mary Ingalls on Her Own

Elizabeth Cody Kimmel

When she was just fourteen-years-old Mary Ingalls fell ill with scarlet fever and lost her sight. Now two years later Mary is getting the chance to continue her education at the Iowa College for the Blind. Going back to school is a dream come true for Mary, and at the Iowa College she will not only take academic classes, but will also learn Braille and other skills that will make her independent once again. But with this new opportunity comes new challenges, and as Mary struggles to adjust to life without her family, she is also forced to take a hard look at her future, and confront her true feelings about being blind.
Max's Fun Day

Adria F. Klein

Max and his good friend Don, who is in a wheelchair, have a lot of fun together, whether they are at the park, in the library, or at a restaurant.
Max the Champion

Sean Stockdale and Alexandra Strick

Max spends his day dreaming about competing in world class sporting events, and when he and his classmates--some of whom are disabled--prevail in a soccer match, he imagines they have won the World Cup.
McKenna (American Girl)

Mary Casanova

Seattle fourth-grader McKenna Brooks, who lives for gymnastics, struggles with school work until Josie, a tutor confined to a wheelchair, helps her with reading comprehension and much more.
Merrow

Ananda Braxton-Smith

Enduring whispers about her absent mother's alleged merrow origins after her father drowns, twelve-year-old Neen questions her identity as she becomes increasingly torn between the worlds of the sea and her island home.
Mi abuelita tiene ruedas

Silvia Molina

No todas las abuelitas resultan tan simpáticas y cariñosas como la de María. Hay algunas que gruñen como ogros, otras que no dicen ni "pío". La de María, además de ser alegre, tiene ruedas sin ser bicicleta ni patín. A young girl describes what makes her grandmother special to her.
Miracle of the Myrrh

Marci Alborghetti

When Mary gives Mendel, a young handicapped boy, the gifts presented to the baby Jesus from the three wise men, Mendel distributes them to those in need and receives a miracle in return.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: The Diary of Bess Brennan

Barry Denenberg

In 1932, a twelve-year-old girl who lost her sight in an accident keeps a diary, recorded by her twin sister, in which she describes life at Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts.
Missing Sisters

Gregory Maguire

Twelve-year-old Alice, an orphan who has never been adopted because of her physical handicap and difficult personality, is shocked to discover she has an identical twin sister living nearby.
Moses Goes to a Concert

Isaac Millman

When Moses and his class of hearing-impaired students go on a field trip to a concert, they meet the orchestra's deaf percussionist, in a story that includes signed phrases and the manual alphabet.
Moses Goes to School

Isaac Millman

A day at a school for the deaf is like a day at any school. Moses goes to a special school, a public school for the deaf. He and all of his classmates are deaf or hard-of-hearing, but that doesn't mean they don't have a lot to say to each other! They communicate in American Sign Language (ASL), using visual signs and facial expressions. Isaac Millman follows Moses through a school day, telling the story in pictures and written English, and in ASL, introducing hearing children to the signs for some of the key words and ideas. At the end is a favorite song -- "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" -- in sign!
Moses Goes to the Circus

Isaac Millman

Moses, who is deaf, has a good time with his family at the circus, where they communicate using sign language. Includes illustrations of some of the signs they use.
Moses Sees a Play

Isaac Millman

Moses and his classmates, who are deaf or hard of hearing, attend a play at their school, and Moses makes a new friend from another class.
My Best Buddy

YeShil Kim

Two students attend the same school and become friends. One is eighty-five years old, but he is committed to going to school and learning how to read, write, and study so that he can fulfill his dream of being a veterinarian. Kamau is a second grader, and learns from his older friend that if you put your mind to it, you can make your dreams come true.
My Buddy

Audrey Osofsky

This easy-to-read, first-person narrative of an unusual friendship demonstrates the desires of the handicapped to be independent and to be treated like everyone else. Graceful watercolor illustrations that emphasize the closeness between boy and dog are a perfect accompaniment to this entertaining and informative book.
My Name is Blessing

Eric Walters

Based on the life of a real boy, this warm-hearted, beautifully illustrated book tells the story of Baraka, a young Kenyan boy with a physical disability. Baraka and eight cousins live with their grandmother. She gives them boundless love, but there is never enough money or food, and life is hard--love doesn't feed hungry stomachs or clothe growing bodies, or school keen minds. Baraka is too young, and, with his disability, needs too much, and she is too old. A difficult choice must be made, and grandmother and grandchild set off on a journey to see if there is a place at the orphanage for Baraka. The story begins by looking at Baraka's physical disability as a misfortune, but ends by looking beyond the disability, to his great heart and spirit, and the blessings he brings.
My Pal, Victor / Mi amigo, Víctor

Diane Gonzales Bertrand

Two boys enjoy the summer doing all of the things that boys do despite one boy's disability. Full story in English and again in Spanish.