Children’s Literature:  Internet Resources on Literature for Children with Learning Disabilities

There are a multitude of websites featuring children’s literature on the Internet.  The purpose of this directory is to help parents and teachers locate literature which would be of interest specifically to children with learning disabilities.   Although literature for other special needs children can be found on some of these web pages, this directory focuses primarily on Internet bibliographies of books for children with learning disabilities.  The goal of this directory is to sort through the numerous websites and to provide the reader quick access to those websites pertaining to literature for children with learning disabilities.  In addition, Internet resources are provided for those who are interested in other literacy media for children who learn differently – audio books, videos, and books on computer software.

Booklist Section Audio video section Other resources section


Booklists

  • Bibliotherapy – Fiction books for Children with Learning Disabilities
    This resource is provided by LD Online, a service of the Learning Project at WETA, Washington D.C., in association with the Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities.  “Bibliotherapy is the use of literature to help heal the emotional wounds of being different. Many students with learning disabilities struggle with a variety of problems. Reading about characters who have the same problems and struggles may help the student come face to face with themselves. Reading can be like attending a support group. For example, students may gain insight into difficulties; they may acquire information that may help them cope with their problems. Hopefully, they may be motivated to persevere. Most importantly, they learn that they are not alone.”  A short list of suggestions for using bibliotherapy is given.  This is an archived web page.
  • Books for Kids about Learning Differences  
    This resource is provided by The Greenwood School, a preparatory boarding school for boys with dyslexia and related language disorders, and The Greenwood Institute, offering teacher training and a home schooling support program for teachers and parents of students with dyslexia and related disorders. This is an archived web page.
  • Children’s Books About Disabilities  
    This resource is provided by ERIC, Educational Resources Information Center.  The web site contains a list of books recommended for children with disabilities.  A key is given indicating reading levels for books to be read by adults to children, juvenile easy readers, juvenile fiction, young adult books and adult books.  A story profile is provided.
  • A Guide to Children’s Literature and Disability 1989-1994 
    This resource is a comprehensive bibliography covering books published between 1989 and 1994 and is provided by the National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities, Washington, D.C. This bibliography is intended to help parents and professionals identify books that are written about or include characters who have a disability. The list is grouped according the following disabilities: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), blindness, cerebral palsy, deafness, learning disabilities, serious or life-threatening conditions, physical disabilities, and other disabilities. Additional information about what disability or what the main theme is may be indicated in parentheses.  Books have designated codes which represent an age or grade level.
  • High Interest / Low Reading Level Books 
    This resource is provided by The Logan Library (Utah).   Reading and interest level notations are taken from The Elementary School Library Collection (21st Ed.).  The Logan Library’s list of easy-to-read books for reluctant readers includes interesting novels for Grades 3-5. 
  • Resources You Can Use-Children’s Literature and Disability 
    This resource is provided by the National Information Center for Children and Youth with Learning Disabilities, Washington, DC.  The purpose of this list is to help provide parents and professionals with books that are written or include characters who have a disability. This list is grouped according to disability or issue. Age/grade level is noted in parentheses. A list of publishers is provided (in alphabetical order) at the end of this document.
  • Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers 
    This resource is provided by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA).  YALSA compiles an annual list of recommended books and releases the list at its ALA Midwinter Meeting.  This site gives links to the selections made from 1996-2007.  This year’s 2007 Quick Picks contains eighty titles on the list and the books were published late 2005 through 2006. Thirty of the titles are non-fiction and forty-six are fiction.  The Quick Picks Committee seeks books that “teens, ages twelve to eighteen, will pick up on their own and read for pleasure. The list is geared to the teenager who, for whatever reason, does not like to read. Teen input is a vital aspect in the final decision of the committee. The visual appearance of a book and the standard considerations in the quality of content is equally important when selecting books for reluctant young readers. The list is not intended for teenagers with reading disabilities, though some of the selected titles may be appropriate for those teens.”  A link is also provided to a list of books nominated for 2004.

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Books on Cassette Tapes/Software

  • Accessible Book Collection-Providing Digital Text to Persons with Disabilities    
    This resource is provided by the Accessible Book Collection, a non-profit corporation. It is a subscription based program which provides books online or by download.  “Our primary mission is to provide high interest/low reading level digital text to qualified persons with disabilities. Government and non-profit schools and others can subscribe to the Accessible Book Collection and have a large selection of e-books for all their eligible students for one low price.”  The site lists accelerated reading lists, complete title inventory, and recently acquired titles.
  • Audiobooks for Young Adults
    This resource is provided by the Audio Book and Media Exploration Committee of the Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of American Library Association, ALA.  This committee compiles an annual list of recommended titles of audio books for young adults. Links are provided for the 1999-2007. Selection is based on “their appeal to a teen audience, the quality of their recording, and because they enhance the audience’s appreciation of any written work on which they may be based. While the list as a whole addresses the interests and needs of young adults ranging in age from 12 to 18, individual titles may appeal to parts of that range rather than to its whole.” 
  • 2007 Notable Children’s Recordings
    This resource is provided by the Notable Children’s Recordings Committee, a division of the American Library Association (ALA).  Titles are selected annually by a committee of librarians and educators from across the country.  The length of the recording is noted and whether it is available on cassette or compact disc.
  • 2007 Notable Children’s Videos  
    This resource is provided by the Notable Children’s Video Committee, a division of the American Library Association (ALA).  Titles are selected annually by a committee of librarians and educators from across the country on “the basis of their originality, creativity, and suitability for young children. The members select materials that respect both children's intelligence and imagination, exhibit venturesome creativity, and encourage the interests of users.”  The length of the video, age level, and phone number for ordering is given.
  • RFB&D: Learning Through Listening 
    This resource is provided by Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, a nonprofit organization. It is the nation's largest educational library serving people who cannot effectively read standard print because of a visual impairment, learning disability or other physical disability.

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Additional Resources

    • Learning to Read Resources for Language Arts and Reading Research
      This resource is a home page provided by John Nemes. It is a comprehensive web page with links to numerous other sites providing additional resources on literacy, critical issues, research, interactive lessons, virtual literature, professional organizations and publications, book publishers and authors, listservs, and recommended books to read. 

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      Created by Mary M. Silgals – July 22, 2003

      Email:  msilgals@aol.com