Look! It's me!

Children’s picture books on diversity and inclusion, reviewed by young people with disability

Star ratings

Gold coloured stars for the rating - 5 stars.

Can’t wait to reread! Can’t stop thinking about the pictures, words, characters! No book is entirely perfect, but this book has us happy, excited and wanting children to read it. 

Gold coloured stars for the rating - 4 stars.

We enjoyed this book from beginning to end – a truly great read. We like the story, the characters, the messages and the illustrations. Truly superb – but perhaps just missing something to be perfect.  

Gold coloured stars for the rating - 3 stars.

We feel neutral about this book – maybe a little underwhelmed. We liked the book, but we’re still not sure about a few parts.  

Gold coloured stars for the rating - 2 stars.

We probably won’t recommend this book. This book wasn’t complete nonsense. It definitely wasn’t good but wasn’t completely badWe liked the story or the illustrations, but felt overall that the book lacked purpose.   

Gold coloured stars for the rating - 1 star.

This book kind of seemed ableist or gives the wrong impression of children with disability. It might lack story, contain boring characters, or maybe it is packed with misinformation.  

This cover shows a scene of a young boy sitting on grass in a field. He is wearing a blue shirt and red leggings. The shirt seems to have the name 'Iggy' written on it. The boy, rendered in a cartoonish style, is the main focus of the image. There are also two sheep.

Just like you, only a little more different

"[T]his book would help little kids and kids with disabilities know that it’s okay to be different."

This cover features a blue book cover with cartoon characters in various poses. In the centre of the image is a door, open with a family of five people - two adults and three children - and their dog! A girl in a wheelchair is waving at the reader and about to be welcomed into the house. Text on the cover includes the title and authors. The title "Come over to my house" is curved over the door as a welcoming sign.

Come Over to My House

"I thought it was a great look into how different people and different families function, normalising disability and access needs."

This cover is dominated by white, pink and green. The illustration shows a large school building in the background with pink brick and the book title. Either side of the school building are two trees. The front of the school has a line of 8 students and one teacher. The teacher is on the far-right hand side. The diversity of students shows disability and different ethnicities. The name of the author and illustrator have school style pencils above them containing the text 'written by' and 'illustrated by'.

Our Class Is a Family

"[R]hyming couplets and well-illustrated drawings that are funny and engaging for younger children."

The cover art depicts a scene with a child, holding a musical instrument, specifically a guitar. The guitar and the child are the central figures of the poster-like art on the book cover. The child is standing on a footpath and behind them are the title of the book and a mural on the brickwork with vibrant colours and geometric shapes.

Change Sings: A Children's Anthem

"[I]t appears the illustrator has not considered the practicalities that come with using a wheelchair."

This cover shows a line of legs and feet. From left to right is a golden coloured dog, a mature woman with a walking stick in red shoes, and then three young children including one in a wheelchair. Text on the cover includes the title and authors.

We Move Together

"Equality! The colourful illustrations showed a good understanding of equality - People with and without disability, different genders and various skin colours."

This cover is a lively representation of a group of children, each unique in their own ways. The focal point is a girl with blonde hair, waving, and wearing a white dress. There is also a child in a green jumper, a boy in a striped shirt, and two girls, one with a pink cap and the other with a yellow jumper in a wheelchair. The background also has close-ups of various objects like the sun, rain and a map. Text on the cover includes the title and authors and the tagline "A book about inclusion".

You are Enough

"I loved this book so much, the colours, the illustrations, the way there was representation of so many different disabilities, body types, skin tones and ethnicities etc"

The cover shows a young boy in the centre with his eyes closed. He is framed by a bard style window and is holding a book in front of him. All of the text has the braille translation below the words.

Six Dots

"Liked the history, the illustrations and symbolism. I felt more educated and interested in Braille and its usages for the blind community."

This cover includes dominant colours in the image and features an illustration of a girl wearing a helmet. She seems to be in a garden. The helmet-clad girl is depicted in the style of an animated cartoon. She appears to be holding a red rope. Additionally, there is a close-up depiction of a blue shirt and cape. The text on the book cover has the phrase "Discover How Good You Can Ge Now introducing" prominently displayed. Text on the cover includes the title and authors.

The Magical Yet

"This book beautifully dispels the myth that to achieve success, you need to have naturally born talent."

This cover depicts a cartoon of a young girl sitting in a chair. She is wearing a pink shirt and skirt, with yellow shoes and white socks. Her hair is bright pink, styled into two pigtails that are tied up with blue ribbons. Behind her stands five other figures, all dressed in different coloured clothing. The background of the image is plain white, allowing the characters to stand out against it clearly. Text on the cover includes the title and authors.

Awesomely Emma

"A great introduction to ideas of the social model of disability, wherein disability is a natural part of human diversity."

This is a vibrant cover features diverse cartoon children in various activities that seem to promote inclusivity and self-acceptance. On the lower side is a cheerful child in a green shirt with green and red striped leggings, while the centre presents a man engaged in a yoga pose. On the top left, there is a girl in a wheelchair, who looks like she is singing. The overall design is vibrant and attractive, using a predominant blue colour scheme. The book cover's graphics and illustration style are reminiscent of popular children's cartoons.

All bodies are good bodies

"I like that it included kids that didn’t have arms or had prosthetics."

This cover shows a book cover with eight children playing and dancing. The background is a subdued yellow, and the characters are all wearing colourful clothing. The characters include from top left a child at an easel, a child watching the artist paint, two girls dancing together and then along the bottom of the cover from left to right, a child with a backpack speaking with a girl and then a boy in a wheelchair about to throw a ball to their friend next to them. All of them have big smiles on their faces as if they're having a great time together! Text on the cover includes the title and authors.

Included

"From this book, children can begin to form an understanding that disabled children, disabled people, have value in our community."

This cover depicts a young boy pushing a wheelbarrow full of flowers. He is wearing a greenish shirt and blue jeans, with his hair in an undercut style. The background of the image is mostly white, but there are also some colourful elements over the title text. Text on the cover includes the title, authors and tagline "Be different, be brave, be you".

Just Ask!

"I liked that the author talked about multiple disabilities without degrading them."

This cover has a purple background with white writing. On the left-hand side of the cover is a young girl with dark medium length hair dressed in her light blue school dress and with a cat next to her. A black dog with a red service animal coat is centre of the cover with a purple collar. The dog's tongue is hanging out and it looks friendly. Text on the cover includes the title and authors.

Next Door's Dog Goes to School

"My favourite part [is] learning and understanding how everyone is different and needs help in various ways."

This cover shows a pig on a stool on the right-hand side of a pale cover. The pig is holding a paintbrush, and the image includes drawings of painting materials. Text on the cover includes the title and authors.

Pig's Big Feelings

"I really like how it spells out emotions and how it increases vocabulary with a whole emotion index at the back describing how it feels in an easy-to-understand way."

The cover's dominant colours are white and yellow, adding a cheerful and inviting aura to the book. The cover is graced with a cartoon character, a zesty fellow sporting a moustache, adding a playful touch. The character is located in a doorway, possibly indicating an adventure or journey that lies within the pages. Text on the cover includes the title and authors.

The Adventures of Pistachio Mustachio

"Reading this book made me smile and filled me with happiness."

This cover is predominantly beige in colour. The cover is adorned with cartoon animal illustrations, adding a playful and engaging element to the design. The title of the book, "The wild guide to starting school," is neatly written in white text on a blackboard-like element. Text on the cover includes the title and authors.

The Wild Guide to Starting School

"I liked this book the best because it had lots of funny parts."

The image depicts a book cover with a pink backdrop and some text. The cover features a cartoonish illustration of multiple children. A girl is visible on the left, raising her hand at the reader. On the right-hand side are two people wearing head scarves and hugging. It appears to be a mother and daughter. A boy in a wheelchair is shown on the lower left. He is being high fived by a young girl.

ABC of Body Safety and Consent

"YOU'LL WANT TO READ THIS! Learn to look after your body and realise it's okay to say no."

This is a vibrant cover featuring a group of children engaged in various activities, including a boy wearing glasses, a girl playing a flute, and another girl holding an orange mug. There's also another child engrossed in reading a book, and one person seems to be wearing a helmet. A boy and a girl can be seen in the foreground, while the others are set against a lush green background. There's also an eye-catching detail of a blue star against the green backdrop. The artwork is reminiscent of animated cartoons and clipart styles, with a playful and imaginative feel to it. The faces of the children are highlighted in different colours. Text on the cover includes the title and authors.

All the Ways to be Smart

"The book's message, that there is no one right way to be smart, is beautifully conveyed."

The book's cover depicts two people, both smiling and with flowing hair. The person on the left-hand side is upside down and has red hair and green rimmed glasses. The person the right-hand side has brown hair. The side of their faces closest to each other dominates the image and you cannot see the other side of their head.

Forever Friends

"The book's message is about antibullying, learning to love your differences as that makes you unique, and accepting other people as they are."

This book cover features a warm and inviting cartoon of a girl. The girl appears to be young with blonde hair. The cover is predominantly white, with accents of yellow and pink, giving it a soft and friendly appeal. Text on the cover includes the title and authors.

I Am An Aspie Girl

"The page about meltdowns is very disappointing and not an accurate portrayal at all."

This image is an abstract illustration featuring a child in action, wearing blue pants and a reddish pink shirt, with black curly hair, short. They appear to be running swiftly, clutching a paint brush in their hand as if they just finished writing the title 'Ish'.

Ish

"The book encourages readers to try their best and pursue their passions, emphasising that someone will always appreciate and value their efforts."

This cover has a white background and a gallery of 13 different brightly coloured people. The diversity depicts different genders, ethnicities, interests (music, books etc), and abilities, including a wheelchair, arm sling, glasses, broken leg.

It's OK to be Different

"I love all the questions that can stem from this book, but it needs a teacher that know what to say to get them thinking about what questions they can ask."

This book cover shows a young girl with long dark hair, standing in front of a large tree. It appears the breeze is blowing as the young girl's hair is flowing out to the right of her head. She is wearing yellow shoes, blue pants, a red and white striped top with a pink cardigan on top. She has dark skin and light blue rimmed glasses. She has a happy expression.

Stand Tall! A Book about Integrity

"The main character is making a good choice even if she knows no one else will see it."

This book cover shows five young people in school uniform holding a sign that shows the text for the title.

Starting School

"It ignores how stressful the first day can be and only focuses on the good."

This cover shows a dark-skinned young girl, with her in an up style and with a yellow headband. She is wearing a yellow top with white dots and dark green overalls. Above the girl's head are speech bubbles in greenish colours. She has one hand raised upwards and her other hand is on her hip.

The Girl with Big, Big Questions

"I liked the colours in the illustrations and the story was interesting."

The cover features colourful drawings, including two children, both on a swing. The left-hand side shows a girl with mickey mouse ear style buns on her dark hair, beige top with a rainbow on it, yellow skirt and red shoes. A child on the right-hand side is a boy with blond hair, red and white striped shirt, jean shorts and one blue shoe. His right leg is not there. The overall colour scheme is dominated by white, providing a clean and simple backdrop to the colourful illustrations. Text on the cover includes the title and authors.

What Happened to You?

"It's a great read beginning to end."

The cover has bright colours and shows the blue raccoon sitting in a large brown chair with a red bucket of bright flowers on either side of the chair. Behind the raccoon are yellow curtains and at their feet is grass and a path leading to the chair.

Roxy the Raccoon

"My favourite character is Brad the Beaver ... because he was nice and he was the first friend to include Roxy."

The cover features a cartoon of a boy and a girl. The boy, positioned towards the right, has a is looking towards the girl and the girl in the centre of the image is facing away from the boy. There appears to be a broken chair on the left of the image and another chair in the air between the pair of children.

Being Friends with Bodie Finch

"I liked that it showed the perspective of a teacher and classmates learning to understand behaviour that they may initially categorise as ‘strange’ or ‘different’."

This image features a zebra walking on a plain white background. The zebra's body is captured in a side profile. The image also features a text sign, presenting the words "DK Braille Animals Knowledge you can touch". Below the text are the same words in Braille.

DK Braille: Animals

"I liked the fact that the book had braille writing so that even people who are blind can read the book."

The book's cover illustrates a cartoon image of a girl, which is the primary focus. The girl's drawing has a playful, animated style, reminiscent of a doll or character from a cartoon series. The girl is wearing a purple top with pink love hearts dotted on it and her hair id black and split into two plaits via a centre part. The overall colour scheme is dominated by black and teal.

Empathy

"The highlight is the discussion questions page at the end that parents can use to maximize this opportunity to talk about how to use their empathy and turn it into action."

This white cover shows Emma on the left and Charley on the right. There are also dry branches on either side. Emma is seated in a wheelchair and appears to have upper limb difference. Her hair is in braids. Both children are wearing muted pastel clothing.

When Charley met Emma

"This young family aimed children's book contained effective illustrations, a clear plot, simple characters and a good message, however, it lacked authenticity and a super clear purpose."

This pale coloured cover shows a young person with dark hair looking up to the title and red, rosy cheeks. The title dominates the top of the cover.

Who Am I? I Am Me!

"There was a missed opportunity to include diversity by having children with hearing aides, glasses, visible disabilities such as Downs Syndrome or sensory issues such as wearing ear protection or a hoodie."

The image depicts a scene with multiple children, each engaged in various activities. One child on the right side of the image is seen with a laptop, possibly studying or doing homework. There's also a boy in a wheelchair, on the left, also with a laptop or device. There is a dog near the wheel of the wheelchair. The middle of the image contains two young people with AAC devices strung by lanyard around their necks and they have one hand each raised and waving at the reader. The dominant colours in the image are white and green.

AAC Rhymetime

"When I read this book to a small group of 3–4-year-old at a childcare I work at, they were engaged the whole time throughout the book."

This dusky brown themed cover shows a young person standing on a hill with flowers at their feet. They are wearing blue shoes, white socks with blue dots, orange shorts, suspenders and a white shirt with blue spots. The person's dark hair is short but has a middle part.

You, Me and Empathy

"I like how on almost every page it asks a question about what that page is talking about like playing with friends or bullies asking for the classes input and makes them think about it."

This image features a cartoon character of a girl, depicted in vibrant hues of yellow and white. The girl is holding an AAC device.

I Talk In Different Ways

"This story brings a negative vibe towards AAC mainly because the way the story is structured and how it's cover lacks interest."

This cover shows an illustration of a girl and a dragon. The girl appears to be in a pose of action and the dragon is portrayed in vibrant shades of red. The girl character has black hair and red shirt. She is holding a mask depicting her own face.

Lilly's Mask

"It was a great way of showing how some young people fly under the radar or ‘don’t seem autistic’, and that it’s not helpful and leads to a lack of understanding around their access needs."

This cover shows two people standing outside on grass with a clear blue sky behind them. The left-hand person has a cat at their legs and is wearing white and blue shoes, blue pants and a white and blue striped shirt. The right-hand person has a dog at their legs and is wearing white and red sneakers, blue striped shorts and red shirt.

Why Johnny Doesn't Flap, NT is OK!

"One commendable aspect of this book is its potential to serve as a starting point for families to discuss issues related to disability and neurodiversity."

This cover shows a young prince with red hair and gold crown, holding a white dandelion and a purple shirt with running script of decoration. The prince has a blue sky and big orange round object behind him. Not clear if it is the sun or a mountain. There is also a butterfly above his head.

The Prince Who Was Just Himself

"The instant love and acceptance of his family despite his differences was an affirming message."

Aegon

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Aliyah

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Alyssia

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Atticus

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Chloe R

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Chloe S

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Elijah

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Ethan

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Georgia

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Jessica

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Kai

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Lily

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Matilda

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Rahim

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Tessa

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