The best picture books about blind children

Why am I passionate about this?

I first read about Helen Keller when I was in 4th grade. When I took swimming, I had two classmates who were blind like Stevie Wonder because they had been born premature and placed in oxygen-enriched incubators. I became curious about what it was like to live in a dark world. I walked around my house and neighborhood with my eyes closed, learning my way around. I gave a book report to my class about Helen Keller’s autobiography, and my classmates became excited about her, too. I learned to read braille, and proofread books for the blind when I was in junior high. I also learned the deaf sign language hand positions.


I wrote...

A Monster for Meg

By Lois Wickstrom,

Book cover of A Monster for Meg

What is my book about?

Could you scare Meg? Meg isn’t afraid of big sharp teeth. Or long a long sticky tongue and a drooling mouth. She’s not afraid of huge claws. Or gigantic staring eyes. Meg can’t see these terrifying things. She’s blind. A Monster for Meg follows Meg’s big sister as she tries to frighten her by describing a monster.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille

Lois Wickstrom Why did I love this book?

How often do you read about a blind teenager who invents something that changes the world?

This book goes inside the head of Louis Braille, who invented the six dot braille alphabet when he was fifteen years old. It begins with the accident that blinded him at age 5, shows his wish for books, his frustrations, and finally his success.

This book delves into the emotions as well as the techniques that have helped blind people enjoy books the world over.

By Jen Bryant, Boris Kulikov (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Six Dots as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An inspiring picture-book biography of Louis Braille—a blind boy so determined to read that he invented his own alphabet.

**Winner of a Schneider Family Book Award!**
 
Louis Braille was just five years old when he lost his sight. He was a clever boy, determined to live like everyone else, and what he wanted more than anything was to be able to read.
 
Even at the school for the blind in Paris, there were no books for him.
 
And so he invented his own alphabet—a whole new system for writing that could be read by touch. A system so ingenious that…


Book cover of Song in the City

Lois Wickstrom Why did I love this book?

This charming book lets the reader enter into the world of a blind girl who hears the sounds of the city as a song. As the girl teaches her grandmother, the typefaces in the story teach the reader.

You won’t be able to resist reading this book as a song, and as you do so, you’ll gain an appreciation for a new way to experience the sounds of a city.

By Daniel Bernstrom, Jenin Mohammed (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Song in the City as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

From Daniel Bernstrom, the acclaimed author of One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree, comes a charming and irresistibly fun picture book about a young blind girl and her grandmother who experience the vibrant everyday music of their busy city.

A young girl, filled with the sounds of her beloved city, shares a song with her grandmother that changes the two forever. After helping Grandma realize that the city makes music as beautiful as the sounds they hear in church on Sunday morning, the two sit down and take in all the sounds of the city...together.

Song in the City…


Book cover of My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay

Lois Wickstrom Why did I love this book?

Zulay doesn’t like being different from her friends, but she is. She’s blind.

She has special teachers and has to learn special things, like how to use a cane to get around, and how to type on her brailler. She also gets to pick her own event for the school field day. When she chooses to run track, her special teacher teaches her how to stay on the track and helps her practice running.

By Cari Best, Vanessa Brantley-Newton (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Zulay and her three best friends are all in the same second grade class and study the same things, even though Zulay is blind. When their teacher asks her students what activity they want to do on Field Day, Zulay surprises everyone when she says she wants to run a race. With the help of a special aide and the support of her friends, Zulay does just that.


Book cover of Helen's Big World: The Life of Helen Keller

Lois Wickstrom Why did I love this book?

Helen Keller became blind and deaf at the age of 19 months. She was just learning how to talk. Suddenly her world became dark and quiet.

This book gives a sense of what that must have been like. It dramatizes her exciting discovery that things have names, that communication is possible. The book shows how Helen sought an education and learned to support herself despite being blind and deaf.

She comforted soldiers who returned from war, suddenly blind or deaf. She showed the world that “We do not think with eyes and ears, and our capacity for thought is not measured by five senses.”

By Doreen Rappaport, Matt Tavares (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Helen's Big World as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

A heartwarming portrait of an unforgettable woman by the critically acclaimed author of Abe's Honest Words and Martin's Big Words.

This picture book biography is an excellent and accessible introduction for young readers to learn about one of the world’s most influential luminaries. With her signature style of prose laced with stirring quotes, Doreen Rappaport brings to life Helen Keller’s poignant narrative. Acclaimed illustrator Matt Tavares beautifully captures the dynamism and verve of Helen Keller’s life and legacy, making Helen's Big World an unforgettable portrait of a woman whose vision for innovation and progress changed America—and the world—forever.


Book cover of Little Stevie Wonder

Lois Wickstrom Why did I love this book?

Stevie Wonder’s artistry inspired Quincy Troupe to write a poem about his life and songs, about what he believed in, and how he influenced others.

Stevie was born prematurely and placed in an incubator with extra oxygen in the air. The extra oxygen was helpful for his developing lungs, but it damaged his eyes, blinding him. He discovered his love of music early. His family and neighbors recognized his talent and told others.

Motown released his first album when he was 12. His sense of love and joy has influenced the world. This book is both a tribute and a work of art in itself.

By Quincy Troupe, Lisa Cohen (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Little Stevie Wonder as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Eleven-year-old Stevland Judkins Morris Hardaway hit the big time when he signed a Motown recording contract. At the age of thirteen, Little Stevie Wonder had millions of fans dancing to the number-one song in the nation.

Little Stevie Wonder is the true story of a boy who lost his sight shortly after birth, grew up in Detroit, Michigan, and became one of the twentieth century’s most creative and influential musicians—an instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, musical innovator, and cultural activist.

Here in Quincy Troupe’s joyful poem and Lisa Cohen’s vibrant art is an uplifting celebration of life, peace, and music.


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The Truth About Unringing Phones

By Lara Lillibridge,

Book cover of The Truth About Unringing Phones

Lara Lillibridge

New book alert!

What is my book about?

When Lara was four years old, her father moved from Rochester, New York, to Anchorage, Alaska, a distance of over 4,000 miles. She spent her childhood chasing after him, flying a quarter of the way around the world to tug at the hem of his jacket.

Now that he is in his eighties, she contemplates her obligation to an absentee father. The Truth About Unringing Phones is an exploration of responsibility and culpability told in experimental and fragmented essays.

The Truth About Unringing Phones

By Lara Lillibridge,

What is this book about?

When Lara was four years old, her father moved from Rochester, New York, to Anchorage, Alaska, a distance of over 4,000 miles. She spent her childhood chasing after him, flying a quarter of the way around the world to tug at the hem of his jacket. Now that he is in his eighties, she contemplates her obligation to an absentee father.




The Truth About Unringing Phones: Essays on Yearning is an exploration of responsibility and culpability told in experimental and fragmented essays.


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