Ten of the best children's books with disabled characters

Sean Stockdale and Alex Strick are the authors of Max the Champion, (illustrated by Ros Asquith), a picture book about a sports-mad little boy, also featuring dozens of subtle visual references to disability and inclusion.

For the Guardian, they named ten of the best children's books featuring (or even just including) disabled characters, including:

The Terrible Thing that Happened to Barnaby Brocket by John Boyne

This book, from the author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, is our wild card. It's a rather quirky novel about a young boy who is born defying the laws of gravity – much to the mortification of his painfully "normal" parents who, quite frankly, cannot and will not cope with the humiliation of having a child who is different. What we loved here were the messages about society's perceptions of 'normality' and the desire to correct those who don't fit the norm. We also liked the inclusion of various other diverse characters including a same-sex couple.

Read about the other entries on the list.

Also see: Top ten books about disability.

--Marshal Zeringue