In the United States each year, roughly 1 in 1,900 people are born with a limb difference,[1] and an additional 185,000 individuals experience a limb amputation.[2] Children's literature with representation of characters with upper limb differences help empower children to accept their own, as well as others', differences.[3]
Series of books for children featuring characters with limb differences
editIncludes series of three or more books (two book series and standalone series are included on the next list). Series are listed by publication date. Bold text indicates author or illustrator with a limb difference.
| Title (Series) | Author/Illustrator | Character(s) with limb difference(s) | Year 1st Published | Book type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aven Green [4] | Dusti Bowling/Gina Perry | Protagonist is a girl with no arms. | 2021-Present | Chapter book |
| The Wolf in Underpants [5] | Wilfrid Lupano/Mayana Itoïz | Protagonist has a friend that is a bird with one small wing. Featured prominently in the second ("The Wolf in Underpants: At Full Speed") and third ("The Wolf in Underpants Breaks Free") books in the series. | 2019-Present | Graphic novel |
| Mia Mayhem [6] | Kara West/Leeza Hernandez | Protagonist's friend has prosthetic legs. This friend is in some books of this series. | 2018-Present | Chapter book |
| 5 Worlds [7] | Mark Siegel, Alexis Siegel /Xanthe Bouma, Matt Rockefeller, Boya Sun | One protagonist is a robot who loses his right arm in an accident and then receives a new mechanical arm. Another protagonist begins losing his right hand due to a mysterious illness. | 2017-2022 | Picture book |
| Just Jessica [8] | Jessica Smith/Hasīna Shafad | Protagonist is a girl without a right hand. | 2022 | Picture book |
| Dinosaur Farm: A story about a kid with a limb difference that is NOT about the limb difference [9] | Kristen Silva | The author has written versions of this story with various protagonists, including: a boy missing fingers on his left hand, a girl with a prosthetic left leg, and a boy with a prosthetic right leg. | 2019 | Picture book |
| Avery Takes the Stage [10] | Kristen Silva | Various versions of this book. Sophia: prosthetic left leg. Ava: congenital left-hand limb difference. Clara: missing part of her right arm (congenital amputee). Kyra: missing part of her right arm (congenital amputee). | 2018-2019 | Picture book |
| The Chronicles of Claudette [11] | Kara West/Leeza Hernandez | Protagonist's father has above knee and left arm amputations from fight with dragon. | 2012-2018 | Chapter book |
Other books for children featuring characters with limb differences
editBooks are listed by publication date. Bold text indicates author or illustrator with a limb difference.
| Title (Series) | Author/Illustrator | Character(s) with limb difference(s) | Year 1st Published | Book type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The abilities in me: Limb Difference [12] | Gemma Keir/Yevheniia Lisovaya | Protagonist is a girl missing fingers on her right hand as well as her right leg below her knee. | 2022 | Picture book |
| Baking Up a Storm [13] | Jessica Parham/Srimalie Bassani | Protagonist is a boy without a left hand. | 2022 | Picture book |
| Come Over to My House [14] | Eliza Hull, Sally Rippin/Daniel Gray-Barnett | Examples of lots of different disabilities and how people live by showing kids playing at each other's houses. One family includes a dad with a missing forearm and his various prosthetics. There is also a parent with dwarfism who uses a reaching claw to assist. | 2022 | Picture book |
| Goldie's Tasty Tacos [15] | Nicole Julia/Jeff Crowther | Protagonist is a girl goat who does not have a left hand. | 2022 | Chapter book |
| I am Sheriauna: We are Able [16] | Sherylee Honeyghan/Ana Patankar | Protagonist is Sheriauna Haase, a girl with a congenital upper limb difference on his left side. | 2022 | Picture book |
| My Friend Jackson [17] | Sharon Wasson | Protagonist is a boy with congenital limb differences. | 2022 | Picture book |
| Perfectly Precious Peggy: A True Story about Challenges, Acceptance, and Friendship [18] | Dale Lee Loomis/Maria Mughal | Protagonist is a female goat missing her front right leg. | 2022 | Picture book |
| Why Me, Mama? [19] | Katherine Lockwood/Evgeniya Erokhina | Two of the characters have a limb difference. Every character in the story represents a different disability. | 2022 | Picture book |
| ABC Let's Celebrate You and Me [20] | Sugar Snap Studio | Features several characters with limb differences, including a boy with a prosthetic right leg, a boy with a prosthetic left leg, a boy with two short fingers on his left hand, and a girl without a left hand. | 2021 | Picture book |
| The Bare Naked Book [21] | Kathy Stinson/Meilssa Cho | Depiction of many people, including some with limb differences. | 2021 | Picture book |
| What makes you Super?: Let's talk about Amniotic Band Syndrome [22] | Fernanda Neves/Leonardo Zampronio | Protagonist is a girl missing her index and middle fingers on her right hand, from Amniotic Band Syndrome. | 2021 | Picture book |
| When You See a Child Who's Different [23] | Abbey Luckett Benjamin/Michael Garriga | Depiction of children with various limb differences. | 2021 | Picture book |
| Bodies are Cool [24] | Tyler Feder | Book shows a variety of different bodies (including ones with varied limb differences). | 2021 | Picture book |
| Good to Be Me [25] | Jessica Parham/Srimalie Bassani | Depiction of many kids, including some with limb differences. | 2021 | Picture book |
| Kodi [26] | Jared Cullum | One of the main characters is an amputee from a fishing accident. | 2021 | Graphic novel |
| Rescue and Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship [27] | Jessica Kensky/Patrick Downes | Protagonist is a girl who is a double-leg below-knee (acquired) amputee. | 2021 | Picture book (based on true story) |
| Roxy and Maliboo: It's Okay to Be Different [28] | Hillary Sussman/Blake Marsee | Protagonist is a dog missing her right back leg because she was ill. | 2021 | Picture book |
| Roxy and Tully: Words Matter [29] | Hillary Sussman/Blake Marsee | Protagonist is a dog missing her right back leg because she was ill. | 2021 | Picture book |
| Splash [30] | Claire Cashmore/Sharon Davey | Protagonist is Claire Cashmore (Paralympian) as a child. She does not have a left hand. | 2021 | Picture book (based on true story) |
| Timo the Adventurer [31] | Jonathan Garnier/Yohan Sacré | Protagonist loses his arm (due to magic) near the end of the book. | 2021 | Graphic novel |
| What Happened to You? [32] | James Catchpole/Karen George | Protagonist is a boy missing his right leg and is asked by other kids "what happened" to him. | 2021 | Picture book |
| The Wonky Donkey [29] | Craig Smith | Protagonist is a donkey missing front left leg; wears a prosthetic. | 2021 | Picture book |
| Alf's Power [33] | Mina Minozzi/Miruna Prunache | Protagonist is a boy without his lower left arm. | 2020 | Picture book |
| Brooklyn's Lucky Fin [34] | Jenna Regan | Protagonist is a girl with what she calls a "lucky fin," referring to her right hand specifically. | 2020 | Picture book |
| Evie's Missing Something [35] | Khadija Johnson | Protagonist is a girl missing the lower part of her left arm. | 2020 | Picture book |
| We Are Little Feminists On-the-Go [36] | Brook Sitgraves Turner/Archaa Shrivastav | Depicts many children, including some with various limb differences. | 2020 | Board book |
| 5 Fingers and 10 Toes: Jo-Jo Goes to School [37] | Dawn Civitello/Francisco Villa | Protagonist is a boy with a congenital upper limb difference on his left side. | 2019 | Picture book |
| Awesomely Emma: A Charley and Emma Story [38] | Amy Webb/Merrilee Liddiard | One of the two protagonists is a girl with a congenital upper and lower limb differences. | 2019 | Picture book |
| The Bionic Kid: Bionic Beginnings [39] | Zachary Pamboukas, Christo Pamboukas, Niko Pamboukas | Protagonist is a boy with a congenital upper limb difference on his right side. | 2019 | Comic |
| The Bionic Kid, Issue 2 [39] | Zachary Pamboukas, Christo Pamboukas, Niko Pamboukas | Protagonist is a boy with a congenital upper limb difference on his right side. | 2019 | Comic |
| Hands (My Body, Your Body) [40] | John Wood | Book displays a variety of hands, some displaying hands with varied lengths of fingers or number of fingers. | 2019 | Picture book |
| Rae's First Day: The First Story in the Capable Series [41] | Danny Jordan/Agustina Perciante | Protagonist is a girl with radial dysplasia (on her right side). | 2019 | Comic |
| Sophia Takes the Stage [42] | Kristen Silva | Protagonist is a girl with a prosthetic left leg. | 2019 | Picture book |
| When Charley Met Emma [43] | Amy Webb/Merrilee Liddiard | One of the two protagonists is a girl with a congenital upper and lower limb differences. | 2019 | Picture book |
| 5 Fingers and 10 Toes [44] | Dawn Civitello/Francisco Villa | Protagonist is a boy with a congenital upper limb difference on his left side. | 2019 | Picture book |
| Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus [45] | Dusti Bowling | Protagonist is a girl who is a congenital double-arm amputee. | 2019 | Chapter book |
| Ava Takes the Stage [46] | Kristen Silva | Protagonist is a girl with a congenital left-hand limb difference. | 2018 | Picture book |
| Barefoot Books: Children of the World [47] | Tessa Strickland, Kate DePalma/David Dean | Depiction of many children, including those with limb differences. | 2018 | Picture book |
| Clara Takes the Stage [48] | Kristen Silva | Protagonist is a girl missing part of her right arm (congenital amputee). | 2018 | Picture book |
| Kyra Takes the Stage [49] | Kristen Silva | Protagonist is a girl missing part of her right arm (congenital amputee). | 2018 | Picture book |
| Look What Kate Can Do: One Hand Works as Well as Two [50] | Katie Leatherwood, Paul Leatherwood | Protagonist is a girl with symbrachydactyly on her left hand. | 2018 | Picture book |
| Reindeer in Here [51] | Adam Reed/Xindi Yan | Protagonist is a reindeer with shortened left antler. | 2018 | Picture book |
| I am Sheriauna [52] | Sherylee Honeyghan/Ana Patankar | Protagonist is Sheriauna Haase, a girl with a congenital upper limb difference on her left side. | 2017 | Picture book |
| I Have a Doll Just Like You! [53] | Julie Ann Zitterkopf Larson/Jacqueline Kerr | One of the protagonists is a boy with a congenital amputation of his left arm. | 2017 | Picture book |
| Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus [54] | Dusti Bowling | Protagonist is a girl who is a congenital double-arm amputee. | 2017 | Chapter book |
| Rising Above: How 11 Athletes Overcame Challenges in Their Youths to Become Stars [55] | Gregory Zuckerman, Elijah Zuckerman, Gabriel Zuckerman | Includes the story of a professional baseball pitcher Jim Abbott, who was born without a right hand. | 2017 | Non-fiction |
| Uniquely Brave [56] | Trace Wilson/Ana Sebastian | Protagonist is a boy with a congenital upper limb difference on his left side. | 2017 | Picture book |
| Different is Awesome [57] | Ryan Haack/Wes Molebash | Protagonist is a boy with a congenital upper limb difference on his left side. | 2015 | Picture book |
| Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah [58] | Laurie Ann Thompson, Sean Qualls | Protagonist is a boy with a congenital lower limb different on right-hand side. | 2015 | Picture book (non-fiction) |
| My Little Leg [59] | Robyn Lambert | Protagonist is a girl with a prosthetic leg. | 2015 | Picture book |
| My Little Leg Grows Bigger [60] | Robyn Lambert | Protagonist is a girl with a prosthetic leg. | 2015 | Picture book |
| Nimona [61] | ND Stevenson | One protagonist is a man with an amputated right arm. | 2015 | Graphic novel |
| Uniquely Me [62] | Trace Wilson/Ana Sebastian | Protagonist is a boy with a congenital upper limb difference on his left side. | 2015 | Picture book |
| Just Like Us: A Coloring Book Celebrating Children with Limb Differences [63] | Jennifer Latham Robinson | Depiction of many kids with varying limb differences. | 2014 | Coloring book |
| Harry and Willy and Carrothead [64] | Judith Caseley | One of the protagonists (Harry) is a congenital left hand amputee. | 1991 | Picture book |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Facts about Upper and Lower Limb Reduction Defects". www.cdc.gov. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
- ^ "Limb Loss Statistics". www.amputee-coalition.org. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
- ^ Meyer, A.; Genareo, V. (July 2021). ""Does Your Arm Hurt?" A Content Analysis of Upper Limb Differences in Children's Books". Michigan Reading Journal. 53: 30–37.
- ^ "Aven Green". Union Square & Co.
- ^ "The Wolf in Underpants". Lerner Publishing Group.
- ^ Mia Mayhem. Simon & Schuster.
- ^ "5 Worlds". Penguin Random House.
- ^ "Just Jessica". The Dreamwork Collective.
- ^ "Dinosaur Farm". Kindle Direct Publishing.
- ^ "Avery Takes the Stage". Kindle Direct Publishing.
- ^ "The Chronicles of Claudette". Simon & Schuster.
- ^ "The Abilities in Me". Abilities in Me.
- ^ "Baking Up a Storm". Mascot Books.
- ^ "Come Over to My House". Hardie Grant Publishing.
- ^ "Goldie's Tasty Tacos". Able Fables Book Co.
- ^ "I Am Sheriauna". iamsherauna.ca.
- ^ "My Friend Jackson". Inspiring Publishers.
- ^ "Perfectly Precious Peggy: A True Story about Challenges, Acceptance, and Friendship". Kindle Direct Publishing.
- ^ "Why Me, Mama?". Grande Formato Publicidade.
- ^ "ABC Let's Celebrate You and Me". Sugar Snap Studio.
- ^ "The Bare Naked Book". Annick Press.
- ^ "What makes you Super?: Let's talk about Amniotic Band Syndrome". Fernanda Neves.
- ^ "When You See a Child Who's Different". Benjamin Books.
- ^ "Bodies are Cool". Penguin.
- ^ "Good to Be Me". Mascot Books.
- ^ "Kodi (Book 1)". Penguin Random House.
- ^ "Rescue and Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship". Penguin Random House.
- ^ "Roxy and Maliboo: It's Okay to Be Different". Palmetto Publishing.
- ^ a b "Roxy and Tully: Words Matter". Palmetto Publishing. Cite error: The named reference "palmettopublishing" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "Splash". Harper Collins Publishers.
- ^ "Timo the Adventurer". Harper Collins Publishers.
- ^ "What Happened To You". Faber & Faber.
- ^ "Alf's Power". Nielson BookData.
- ^ "Brooklyn's Lucky Fin". Palmetto Publishing.
- ^ "Evie's Missing Something". Kindle Direct Publishing.
- ^ "We Are Little Feminists On-The-Go". Little Feminist.
- ^ "5 Fingers and 10 Toes: Jo-Jo Goes to School". Kindle Direct Publishing.
- ^ "Awesomely Emma: A Charley and Emma Story". Beaming Books.
- ^ a b "The Bionic Kid: Bionic Beginnings". Bionic Kids, LLC.
- ^ "Hands (My Body, Your Body)". Book Life.
- ^ "Rae's First Day". The Capables.
- ^ "Hands (My Body, Your Body)". Independently Published.
- ^ "When Charley Met Emma". Beaming Books.
- ^ "5 Fingers and 10 Toes". Kindle Direct Publishing.
- ^ "Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus". Union Square & Co.
- ^ "Ava Takes the Stage". Kindle Direct Publishing.
- ^ "Barefoot Books: Children of the World". Barefoot Books.
- ^ "Clara Takes the Stage". Kindle Direct Publishing.
- ^ "Kyra Takes the Stage". Kindle Direct Publishing.
- ^ "Look What Kate Can Do: One Hand Works as Well as Two". Mascot Books.
- ^ "Reindeer in Her". Simon & Schuster.
- ^ "I am Sheriauna". Kindle Direct Publishing.
- ^ "I have a Doll Just Like You". Kindle Direct Publishing.
- ^ "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus". Union Square & Co.
- ^ "Rising Above: How 11 Athletes Overcame Challenges in Their Youths to Become Stars". Puffin Books.
- ^ "Uniquely Brave". Mascot Books.
- ^ "Different is Awesome". Mascot Books.
- ^ "Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah". Penguin Random House Canada.
- ^ "My Little Leg". Kindle Direct Publishing.
- ^ "My Little Leg Grows Bigger". Kindle Direct Publishing.
- ^ "Nimona". HarperCollins.
- ^ "Uniquely Me". Mascot Books.
- ^ "Just Like Us: A Coloring Book Celebrating Children with Limb Differences". Independently Published.
- ^ "Harry and Willy and Carrothead". Green Willow Books.