8 EYFS/KS1 Books to teach kids about limb differences

Today, a primary school reached out wanting recommendations for children's books featuring amputees. One of their families had been in a traumatic accident recently and they wanted to cushion the return to school for the impacted child. I'd prefer to call them people with limb differences but I caught their drift. I also celebrate that they care enough to want to drive awareness and acceptance to protect the child. Commitment to inclusion at its finest.

Reading encourages children’s imaginations to grow, and opens their world view to include new people, places, circumstances and opportunities. Reading books about difficult topics, such as limb differences or limb loss, is a safe and impactful way to introduce children to the concept. It helps children with limb difference or loss build greater self-esteem as they can relate to characters that “look like me or are different like me.” It encourages them to talk openly and answer questions about their limb difference.

Here are 8 brilliant EYFS and KS1 reads I recommended to meet their needs. Each of them different but with a shared theme throughout to communicate that people with limb loss are still just people, differently able maybe but could still have a lot in common with others.

1) Awesomely Emma by Amy Webb features Emma, an art-loving girl with limb differences and who is a wheelchair user as the protagonist. A visit to a local art museum reveals accessibility challenges with her friend Charley making things worse. Emma saves the day by standing up for herself showing the amazing power of feeling great in your own skin. Highly recommend 😍

2) I Have a Doll Just Like You by Julie Ann Zitterkopf Larson is a fab story about boy whose left arm was amputated and teaches children about limb differences and amputation.

3) What happened to you by James Catchpole is about Joe, a boy with one leg and is amazing for teaching kids and adults alike how a disabled person may want to be spoken to. Speaks of the fatigue of having the same question asked again and again.

4) Splash by Claire Cashmore, MBE and Paralympic gold medallist, who was born without a left forearm – but she never let being different stand in the way of her big dreams. Splash is based on Claire’s real-life experience: this gold-medal-winning swimmer really was scared of water … until one day, everything changed!

These are Claire’s big sisters.
They call her Bear and ruffle her hair.
And whatever Claire’s sisters can do,
Claire can do too …

But there is one thing Claire won't do …The water in the swimming pool makes her feel squirmy inside. Follow her sisters? No thank you! Not today?

Can Claire conquer her fears? Can she set foot in the water – and what will happen if she does?

5) Who Am I By Vie Portland is just superb: Emily has a visible difference; her left leg is a prosthetic. But the books aren't about her disability; that isn't mentioned until the questions at the end of the book. With studies showing many children won't make friends with someone who looks different to them, I wanted my stories to show that we all have far more in common than that which makes us different, and that all of us, before we're anything else, are human.

6) Different is awesome by Ryan Haack is also brilliant. Based on a true story, It charts the story of the author Ryan (born with one hand) whose little brother Joey brought him into school for show-and-tell. Classmates ask him all sorts of questions about how he does things with one hand and realize along the way that he can do anything they can do, he just does it differently. AND they notice that they’re all different in one way or another, leading to the realization that not only are differences a similarity we all share but, they are what make us unique – AND AWESOME!

7) 5 Fingers and 10 Toes by Dawn Civitello another highly recommended read about a boy born without a left hand who goes to school for the first time.

8) The making of my special hand: Madison’s Story by James Riggio Herman is a true story of how a family triumphs over the difficulty of having their little girl born without her left hand. She tells her story of being fitted for her "special" hand, a prosthesis, which allow her do everyday things like pick up toys or carry her doll.