Books for Everyday Situations

Books can be a useful tool to safely explore our thoughts and feelings, for both children and adults alike. They can be a great way to take some time out from daily life as well as a joint activity with children to help them explore their feelings, with an adult they trust.

Even if your child has difficulty seeing, hearing, comprehending, or manipulating books, they can still enjoy them with a bit of help. Reading aloud to children can be an educational and fun experience; You may find that sharing books together is a great way to bond with your child while helping their development.

Top tips on how to engage children with story time

• Use props – Using props while reading can help children focus and bring life into the story you are telling. If your child can hold props this can also reduce fidgeting and aid concentration.
• Repetitive reading – reading the same story multiple times provides children with the opportunity to learn words and concepts they may have missed the first time.
• Story massage – uses positive touch to offer a fun and fully inclusive way of combining the creativity of story, song, and rhyme. Learn more about story massage here.

Click here for more tips on reading with your child.

Click here to find details of your local library where you can find many of the books listed.

Links for where you can buy the books listed are in the article, but please see here for a Book Price Comparison website, which shows you the cheapest online stores

Please also see our article on The Reading Agency’s, Reading Well programme. 

BOOKS FOR PARENT CARERS

Title: Day by Day: Emotional Wellbeing in Parents of Disabled Children

Author:  Joanna Griffin

ISBN: 978-1911383536

Reading age: Adult

Joanna Griffin is a psychologist and parent of a disabled child. Her book focuses on what helps, and what hinders, parent carers’ emotional well-being. Building on Joanna’s Doctoral research, and having supported parent carers in different roles over the last 13 years, this book provides a compass to ensure parents know they are not alone.

You can find useful tools and resources on emotional wellbeing for parents on Joanna’s website, The Affinity Hub.

Title: Dear Parent Carer: Things I Know Now I Wish I Knew Then

Author: Ali Jeffries

ISBN: ‎ 978-1838044534

Reading age: Adult

Ali Jefferies is a parent carer who shares her experience through practical advice for anyone responsible for young people who need extra help. Ali helps parents avoid pitfalls and gives them confidence that whatever it is they are facing, they do not have to do it alone. She also coaches parents on the importance of self-care, understanding only too well how important it is to look after yourself as well as the ones you are caring for.

Title: A Different Kind of Perfect: Writings by Parents on Raising a Child with Special Needs

Author: Cindy Dowling

ISBN: ‎ 978-1590303078

Reading age: Adult

Every parent dreams of having a happy, healthy child. What happens when these dreams are changed by a physical or cognitive disability? A Different Kind of Perfect offers comfort and wisdom from parents who have been there, and are finding their way through.

The writings collected here are grouped into chapters reflecting the progressive stages of many parents’ emotional journeys, starting with grief, denial, and anger, while moving towards acceptance, empowerment, laughter, and joy.

Title: The Boy in the Moon: A Father’s Journey to Understand His Extraordinary Son

Author: Ian Brown

ISBN: 978-0312675417

Reading age: Young Adult/Adult

The Boy in the Moon is Ian Brown’s powerful, honest, and emotionally complicated memoir of raising his son, Walker, one of only a few hundred people worldwide who live with an extremely rare genetic mutation.

Born with CFC (Cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome), Walker Brown is  unable to speak or swallow, compelled to hit himself, requiring surgeries, and round-the-clock care. An investigative journalist, Ian Brown travelled the globe, meeting with genetic scientists and neurologists as well as parents of similar children, seeking ways to reach, and perhaps cure, his son. As Brown becomes part of a community of families, he lets go of his self-blame and his desire to “fix” Walker, learning to accept the boy he loves, just as he is.

BOOKS FOR SIBLINGS AND YOUNG CARERS

Title: Tender

Author: Eve Ainsworth

ISBN: ‎ 978-1407164304

Reading age: Teen/Young adult

This book touches on mental health, family, friendship, and the pressures teenage carers face. For the character Daisy, it’s about pretending her parents aren’t exhausted while they look after her incurably ill brother, while for Marty, it’s about pretending his mother’s grip on reality isn’t slipping. They both pretend life’s fine until at some point they both have to stop. This is an honest fictional account that many young carers will be able to relate to.

Title: Being the Other One: Growing Up with a Brother or Sister Who Has Special Needs

Author: Kate Strohm

ISBN: 978-1590301500

Reading age: Young Adult/Adult

When there’s a disabled child in the family, how are normally developing siblings affected? According to Kate Strohm, a counsellor and health educator, siblings of the disabled face particular emotional challenges that are often overlooked. Able siblings commonly struggle with feelings of isolation, grief, anger, and anxiety.

Being the Other One is based on the author’s own experience (as a sibling of a sister with cerebral palsy) and on extensive interviews she conducted with siblings of all ages. In clear and compassionate terms, Strohm explores the often-secret feelings of siblings and offers valuable strategies for coping with the challenges they face.

Title: Noah’s Garden – When someone you love is in the hospital

Author: Mo Johnson

ISBN: 978-1921150159

Reading age: Child

Noah and his family are living in The Children’s Hospital because his new sister, Jessica, was born with a serious medical condition. Normal family life is suspended indefinitely for Noah, but in the true spirit of childhood, he spends his days in the hospital garden, creating an imaginary world, longing for the day when Jess can join him.

It is written as a tribute to all the families who have to stay in hospitals for long periods of time and for whom gardens become an oasis where children can play and families can attempt to have regular lives, even for the briefest of times.

Title: Just because

Autor: Rebecca Elliott

ISBN: 978-0745964607

Reading age: Child

‘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.’ Just Because tells of a brother’s love for his sister. He is so enthusiastic about just how loving and special she is, delighting in telling us about all the fun things they do together. Only as his tale unfolds does the reader begin to realise that his sister has special needs, and by then we just accept, as he does. This heart-warming picture book is much celebrated for its touching and sensitive approach to introducing the issue of disability to young children through a charming celebration of sibling friendship.

BOOKS TO HELP WITH ANXIETY AND WORRY

Title: An Anxiety Book for Teens: An Easy To Read A-Z Anxiety Book for Teenagers

Author: Ged Jenkins-Omar

ISBN: 978-1800495395

Reading age: Teen/Young Adult

This anxiety book for teens is full of proven, tried, and tested strategies that can help to ease anxiety and start to work immediately.

Having suffered from anxiety on and off since being a teenager, Ged wanted to write the book he wishes he was handed at the start of his journey. Having stared into the abyss on more than one occasion with the depression that resulted from it, Ged now lives a happier life with his wife and two beautiful children. His aim is to help those who need it to find their place of balance with their anxiety.

Title: How Big Are Your Worries Little Bear?

Author: Jayneen Sanders

ISBN: 978-1925089202

Reading age: Child

Little Bear is a worrier. He worries about everything! But with Mama Bear’s help, he soon learns his worries are not so big after all. Through this engaging and beautifully illustrated story, children will learn that everyday worries and fears can be overcome. It just takes a willingness to share with a helpful listener and an understanding that making mistakes is how we learn.

Also included are helpful Discussion Questions for parents, caregivers, and educators, plus extra hints to help children manage anxiety.

Title: Hey Warrior

Author: Karen Young

ISBN: 978-1912678006

Reading age: Child

A fantastic book to help children understand what happens in their brains when they experience anxiety. Kids can do amazing things with the right information. Understanding why anxiety feels the way it does, and where the physical symptoms come from, is a powerful step in turning anxiety around.

Title: I Used To Be Afraid

Autor: by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

ISBN: 978-1596436312

Reading age: Child

In this picture book, Seeger presents seven common childhood fears in the past tense, following the pattern of, “I used to be afraid of ____ but not anymore!”  Each fear is accompanied first by an illustration showing a child looking anxious or fearful, then by an illustration showing the beauty of the thing that is feared. For example, the child is cowering under the covers in the dark, but on the next page, she is outdoors with her dog gazing happily at the moon and stars.  The book’s lesson is that fear is temporary.  We can all learn how to enjoy things that may initially provoke anxiety.  With its engaging pictures and use of cut-outs, this book is perfect for opening a discussion with a young child.

BOOKS TO HELP WITH GRIEF AND LOSS

Title: The Lonely Tree

Author: Nicholas Halliday

ISBN: 978-0953945962

Reading age: Child

Universally praised and beautifully written and illustrated, ‘The Lonely Tree’ follows the first year in the life of a lone evergreen growing in the heart of the ancient oak woodland of the New Forest. The evergreen is befriended by the oldest oak who has lived for hundreds of years. When winter arrives all the oak trees must go to sleep, but of course, evergreens never sleep. Finally, after a long, cold, and lonely winter, spring brings both sadness and joy to the little tree.

The Lonely Tree is a charmingly illustrated picture book that will help children and their families in times of loss or change with the gentle reassurance that saying goodbye is a natural part of life.

Title: Miffy is Crying

Author: Dick Bruna

ISBN: 978-1471123306

Reading age: Child

Miffy is very sad because she’s lost her favourite teddy bear. She searches everywhere and even asks all her family. She wants to know if she will be able to find it again. This story gently explores feelings associated with loss and change and showing emotion.

Title: Vicky Angel

Author: Jacqueline Wilson

ISBN: 978-0440867807

Reading age: Teen

This story is about exploring the complex emotions a person can experience when someone close to them passes. It is also about how important it is to find a safe and meaningful way of keeping a connection with someone after they have passed.

Title: Sad Book

Author: Michael Rosen

ISBN: 978-1406317848

Reading age: Teen/Young Adult

This story was written by the author following the death of his 19-year-old son. It acknowledges that feeling sad after someone you love dies is okay and that complicated feelings are normal.  A moving combination of sincerity and simplicity, it acknowledges that sadness is not always avoidable or reasonable and perfects the art of making complicated feelings plain.

BOOKS WITH DISABLED CHARACTERS

Title: Rockstar Detectives

Author: Adam Hills

ISBN: 978-0241505977

Reading age: Teen

When a priceless painting goes missing Charley, a 12-year-old viral singing sensation, and her best friend George, camera whizz and budding comedian, are shocked to discover they’re the prime suspects. Now Charley and George have to prove they’re not international criminals, all while nailing a stellar European tour and keeping up with their homework! But as news of high-profile heists hits the headlines wherever they go, Charley and George keep finding themselves in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Can they solve these baffling crimes and save themselves, or will their shot for stardom be over almost as soon as it’s begun?

Title: The Secret of Haven Point

Author: Lisette Auton

ISBN: 978-0241522035

Reading age: Teen

Washed up as a baby beside a remote lighthouse and raised by a mermaid, Alpha Lux was the first foundling at Haven Point. Now the lighthouse is a ramshackle home for any disabled person who needs somewhere to belong. Looting from passing ships to make a living, they call themselves the Wrecklings, and for the children of Haven Point life is spent adventuring on the wild shore, and getting into trouble with the grown-ups!

Title: The Amazing Edie Eckhart

Author: Rosie Jones

ISBN: 978-1444958348

Reading age: Teen/Young Adult

Hello! My name is Edie Eckhart and I’m eleven years old. I’m a little bit different. I have a disability called cerebral palsy, so I talk slowly and fall over a lot. It’s never really bothered me because I’ve never known anything else.

Edie Eckhart is Excited with a capital E to start secondary school with her best friend Oscar. But when she and Oscar are put into different tutor groups on their first day, Edie is devastated. Who will play secret hangman with her in class? Who will she eat sausage rolls with?

Title: Amazing

Author: Steve Antony

ISBN: 978-1444944716

Reading age: Child

A joyful picture book by the award-winning Steve Antony. A little boy and his pet dragon are the very best of friends. They laugh, they sing, they dance, and they snooze. They are both amazing, just like everyone else! A celebration of friendship and being yourself with a positive message about celebrating diversity.

If you have any comments, ideas, or suggestions about this article please contact us at [email protected]

Please don’t forget to leave feedback on this article!