Diversity Bibliography: Books featuring Blind, Visually Impaired, and Deaf Characters

The books, for grades 1-2, feature characters that are blind, visually impaired, or deaf. In the case of
Helen Keller, she was blind and deaf. It is imperative that teachers incorporate these books into the
curriculum to celebrate diversity. I hope that by reading these books, students will find that people with
disabilities enjoy activities like listening to music, going to the circus, and playing sports. If students are
exposed to books promoting disability awareness in the early years, they are likely to mature into
compassionate and educated individuals.

Adler, David A. A Picture Book of Helen Keller. New York: Holiday House, 1990.
A biography of Helen Keller that describes how she learned to
communicate, graduated college, and received the Presidential Medal of
Freedom in 1964.
American Printing House for the Blind. American Printing House for the Blind, n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.aph.org/>.
The nonprofit group provides links for teachers to resources, such as Braille books, audio books,
and head sets, for blind students.

Hopkinson, Deborah. Annie and Helen. New York: Schwartz & Wade, 2012.
The story of Helen Keller and her teacher, Annie Sullivan. Real excerpts of Annies
letters demonstrate the progress Helen made with her hand signs.

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat | PBS KIDS! PBS Kids, 2009. Web. 03 Oct. 2012.
<http://pbskids.org/lions/cornerstones/joseph/>.
This website provides lesson plans for teachers of deaf students. The activities are designed to
build vocabulary using the book, Joseph Had a Little Overcoat.

Keats, Ezra Jack. Apt. 3. New York: Macmillan, 1971.

Two brothers try to discover who is playing the harmonica in their apartment building.
They find the musician and are surprised to learn he is blind.

Lyon, George Ella. The Pirate of Kindergarten. New York: Atheneum for Young Readers, 2010.
Ginnys eyes make her see double. She goes to a vision screening and discovers not
everyone sees this way. She learns it can be cured.

Maryland State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Maryland State Library for the Blind
and Physically Handicapped, 2003. Web. 03 Oct. 2012. <http://www.lbph.lib.md.us/>.
This site provides resources for obtaining books in Braille, large print, and cassette. The available
books include Newbery, Schneider Family, and Coretta Scott King Award books.

Millman, Isaac. Moses Goes to the Circus. New York: Frances Foster, 2003.
Moses, who is deaf, has a good time with his family at the circus, where they
communicate using sign language. The illustrations include sign language.

Parker, Robert Andrew. Piano Starts Here: The Young Art Tatum. New York: Schwartz & Wade,
2008.
Art loved to play the piano. Although nearly blind, his other senses helped him to
experience life. He became famous and played all over the world.

Petrillo, Genevieve. Keep Your Ear on the Ball. Gardiner, Me.: Tilbury House, 2007.
Davey is blind and is very independent. When he is not successful at kickball, his
classmates develop a system to help Davey.

Seeger, Pete, and Paul DuBois. Jacobs. The Deaf Musicians. New York: G. P. Putnam's
Sons, 2006.
Lee leaves his band when he loses his hearing. He meets a deaf saxophone player
in a sign language class and they form a band.

Stryer, Andrea Stenn. Kami and the Yaks. Palo Alto, CA: Bay Otter, 2007.
In the Himalaya Mountains of Nepal, a deaf Sherpa boy proves himself to his family by
rescuing the familys yaks.

Uhlberg, Myron. Dad, Jackie, and Me. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree, 2005.
In 1947 a boy learns about discrimination and tolerance as he and his deaf father
watch baseball and support the Dodgers first baseman, Jackie Robinson.

Becky Dashiell/SLM 503/October 9, 2012

Sources:
H.W. Wilson Childrens Core Collections
Schneider Family Award List
Book annotations are from the Library of Congress