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KIDS

BOOKLISTS

Schneider Family Book Award (Young Children)

The Schneider Family Book Awards honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.

Find these books and more online at http://catalog.coolcat.org

2024

Winner

Henry, Like Always
Henry, Like Always by  Jenn Bailey Illustrated by  Mika Song Henry, a first grader on the autism spectrum, attempts to navigate friendships, and sudden changes in classroom routines--like a parade on Friday instead of share time. Ages 6 to 9.|bChronicle Books.

2023

Winner

Listen : How Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf Girl, Changed Percussion
Listen : How Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf Girl, Changed Percussion by  Shannon Stocker Illustrated by  Devon Holzwarth This nonfiction picture book biography celebrates Evelyn Glennie, a deaf woman who became the first full-time solo percussionist in the world.

Honor Books

2022

Winner

My City Speaks
My City Speaks by  Darren Lebeuf A young girl, who is visually impaired, finds much to celebrate as she explores the city she loves.

2021

Winner

I Talk Like a River
I Talk Like a River by  Jordan Scott When a child has a bad speech day at school, his father gives him a new perspective on his stuttering.

2020

Winner

Just Ask! : Be Different, Be Brave, Be You
Just Ask! : Be Different, Be Brave, Be You by  Sonia Sotomayor In this creative non-fiction story, Sonia and her friends plant a garden, and each one contributes in his or her own special way, in a book that celebrates the many differences among humans. In this warm and inclusive story by U.S. Supreme Justice Sonia Sotomayor, inspired by her own childhood diagnosis of diabetes, readers join along as differently abled kids use their strengths to work together and learn about each other.

2019

Winner

Rescue & Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship
Rescue & Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship by  Jessica Kensky Illustrated by  Scott Magoon When he is paired with a girl who has lost her legs, Rescue worries that he isn't up to the task of being her service dog.

2018

Winner

Silent Days, Silent Dreams
Silent Days, Silent Dreams by Allen Say Illustrated by Allen Say A fictionalized biography of James Castle, a deaf, autistic artist whose drawings hang in major museums throughout the world.

2017

Winner

Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille
Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille by Jen Bryant Illustrated by Boris Kulikov This picture book biography of Louis Braille (1809–59) highlights his determination to pursue an education

2016

Winner

Emmanuel's dream : the true story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah
Emmanuel's dream : the true story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson Born in Ghana, West Africa, with one deformed leg, he was dismissed by most people--but not by his mother, who taught him to reach for his dreams. As a boy, Emmanuel hopped to school more than two miles each way, learned to play soccer, left home at age thirteen to provide for his family, and, eventually, became a cyclist. He rode an astonishing four hundred miles across Ghana in 2001, spreading his powerful message: disability is not inability. Today, Emmanuel continues to work on behalf of the disabled.

2015

Winner

A Boy and a Jaguar
A Boy and a Jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz Illustrated by Catia Chien The renowned cat conservationist reflects on his early childhood struggles with a speech disorder, describing how he only spoke fluently when he was communicating with animals and how he resolved at a young age to find his voice to be their advocate.

2014

Winner

A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin
A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin by Jen Bryant Illustrated by Melissa Sweet Presents an illustrated introduction to the life and work of artist Horace Pippin, describing his childhood love for drawing and the World War I injury that challenged his career.

2013

Winner

Back to Front and Upside Down!
Back to Front and Upside Down! by Claire Alexander While the rest of the class makes birthday cards for the principal, Stanley struggles with his words and letters.

2011

Winner

The Pirate of Kindergarten
The Pirate of Kindergarten by George Ella Lyon Ginny's eyes play tricks on her, making her see everything double, but when she goes to vision screening at school and discovers that not everyone sees this way, she learns that her double vision can be cured.

2010

Winner

Django
Django by Bonnie Christensen Born into a traveling gypsy family, young Django Reinhardt taught himself guitar at an early age. He was soon acclaimed as the "Gypsy Genius" and "Prodigy Boy," but one day his world changed completely when a fire claimed the use of his fretting hand. Folks said Django would never play again, but with passion and perseverance he was soon setting the world's concert stages ablaze.

2009

Winner

Piano Starts Here
Piano Starts Here by Robert Andrew Parker Jazz musician Art Tatum, who was born with limited vision and lost much of it as he grew, never felt sorry for himself. In this fictionalized biography, children learn that Tatum often forgot that “his eyes weren’t good” as he gave himself to his music, because “with his piano, he had everything he needed.” His illustrations have movement and a musical lilt which flow easily and pay respect to a true American icon.

2008

Winner

Kami and the Yaks
Kami and the Yaks by Andrea Stenn Stryer Just before the start of a new trek, a Sherpa family discovers that their yaks are missing. Young Kami, anxious to help his brother and father maintain their livelihood, sets off by himself to find the wandering herd. A spunky deaf child who is unable to speak, Kami attempts to summon the yaks with his shrill whistle. Failing to rout them, he hustles up the steep mountainside to search the yaks' favorite grazing spots. On the way he encounters the rumblings of a fierce storm which quickly becomes more threatening. Surmounting his fear of being alone in the midst of treacherous lightning and hail, Kami uses his heightened sense of observation to finally locate the yaks. Reunited with their animals, the astonished family is once again able to transport their gear and guide the mountain climbers into the majestic terrain.

2007

Winner

The Deaf Musicians
The Deaf Musicians by Pete Seeger Lee, a jazz pianist, has to leave his band when he begins losing his hearing, but he meets a deaf saxophone player in a sign language class and together they form a snazzy new band.

2006

Winner

Dad, Jackie, and Me
Dad, Jackie, and Me by Myron Uhlberg In Brooklyn, New York, in 1947, a boy learns about discrimination and tolerance as he and his deaf father share their enthusiasm over baseball and the Dodgers' first baseman, Jackie Robinson.

2005

Winner

My Pal Victor / Mi Amigo, Victor
My Pal Victor / Mi Amigo, Victor by Diane Gonzales Bertrand Two Latino boys experience carefree friendship despite one boy's disability.

2004

Winner

Looking Out For Sarah
Looking Out For Sarah by 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. Also describes their three-hundred mile walk from Boston to New York.