Here are a few ideas of books that that incorporate special needs children or focus on special needs in some way. I always love to have books as gifts for friends and family.
1,Be a Friend By: Salina Yoon
Be a Friend is the story of a boy named Dennis, “an ordinary boy…who expressed himself in extraordinary ways.” Dennis doesn’t talk, preferring to mime, and he’s lonely until a friend named Joy comes along. This book is wonderful for any child as well as being an incredible tool for helping to teach empathy with kids.
2. Isaac and His Amazing Asperger Superpowers By: Melanie Walsh
Isaac may look like everyone else, but he actually has superpowers that make him different from his brother and his classmates. Some kids don’t understand that and call him names. Even though he’s not really a superhero — he has Asperger syndrome, which means his brain works a little differently — he does love to play superheroes with his brother, who understands him. Straightforward and engaging, Isaac’s first-person narrative will help kids see the world through the eyes of a child with the high-cognitive type of autism spectrum disorder commonly known as Asperger syndrome
3. Antsy Ansel: Ansel Adams, a Life in Nature Kindle Edition by Cindy Jenson-Elliott (Author)
As a child, Ansel Adams just couldn’t sit still. He felt trapped indoors and never walked anywhere–he ran. Even when he sat, his feet danced. But in nature, Ansel felt right at home. He fell in love with the gusting gales of the Golden Gate, the quiet whisper of Lobos Creek, the icy white of Yosemite Valley, and countless other remarkable natural sights. This book is great for kids with ADHD, kids on the spectrum, and for kids with other special needs who love being outside and who want to know it is ok to dream big.
4. My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay Hardcover by Cari Best
Zulay and her three best friends are all in the same first grade class and study the same things, even though Zulay is blind. When their teacher asks her students what activity they want to do on Field Day, Zulay surprises everyone when she says she wants to run a race. With the help of a special aide and the support of her friends, Zulay does just that.
5. A Boy and a Jaguar Hardcover by Alan Rabinowitz
Alan loves animals, but the great cat house at the Bronx Zoo makes him sad. Why are they all alone in empty cages? Are they being punished? More than anything, he wants to be their champion—their voice—but he stutters uncontrollably.
Except when he talks to animals…
Then he is fluent.
Follow the life of the man Time Magazine calls, “the Indiana Jones of wildlife conservation”as he searches for his voice and fulfills a promise to speak for animals, and people, who cannot speak for themselves. This real-life story with tender illustrations by Catia Chien explores truths not defined by the spoken word.
6. Just Because Paperback – by Rebecca Elliott
My big sister Clemmie is my best friend. She can’t walk, talk, move around much, cook macaroni, pilot a plane, juggle or do algebra. I don’t know why she doesn’t do these things. Just because.
A younger brother describes all the fun he has with the big sister he loves so much—just because, in this heartwarming picture book about being perfectly loved, no matter what. He is enthusiastic about just how loving and special she is, and delights in telling us about all the fun things they do together. Only as his tale unfolds does the reader begin to realize that his sister has special needs—and by then the reader just accepts, as he does, all the wonderful things about her. Teachers and librarians will appreciate this book for its sincere and convincing treatment of children with special needs, while parents will use this book to encourage sibling friendship and to read with children who are beginning to ask why a particular child they know is “different.”
7 Special People Special Ways Hardcover – by Arlene Maguire (Author)
“Share a joke or a dream. Make someone feel good. We need laughter, hugs, and to be understood . . . Though we seem different, inside we’re the same. Our hearts are for caring, no matter our name.”
Arlene Maguire’s delightful rhymes combine with Sheila Bailey’s rich watercolor illustrations to take the reader on a journey of discovery. Each page portrays positive images of children with various disabilities. Winner of an iParenting Media Award and 2009 Preferred Choice Award by Creative Child Magazine, this book illustrates that beyond our physical limitations is a world of unique gifts for each of us to share. Teachers and parents love to read this book aloud to promote understanding and tolerance at school and at home. The detailed artwork attracts children of all ages.