Cut Loose! (The Chance to Fly #2): A Novel

by Ali Stroker , Stacy Davidowitz 

 

Cut Loose! by Tony Award-winning actress Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz is the showstopping sequel to The Chance to Fly. This uplifting story continues the journey of Nat Beacon, a theater-loving girl who uses a wheelchair, as she navigates the challenges of eighth grade and her passion for performing.

Nat is thrilled when she learns about a middle school theater competition where the winning production gets to perform on a real Broadway stage. This is her chance to shine and prove she belongs at her new school.

Drawing inspiration from her favorite musical, Wicked, and its empowering anthem "Defying Gravity," Nat lands a role in the school production of Footloose.

However, rehearsals are far from smooth. With dance diva Skye pushing for more complex choreography, Nat's boyfriend, Malik, frequently missing practice for band commitments, and her best friend, Hudson, acting distant, Nat feels the pressure mounting. She begins to question whether she can carry the show to Broadway and if it's worth pursuing theater without the support of her friends.

Cut Loose is a heartwarming tale about embracing your strengths, standing out, and standing up for what you believe in. Perfect for fans of musicals and anyone who has ever dared to dream big, this book celebrates resilience, friendship, and the magic of theater.

Genres:
Middle Grade, Our Favorites

Tags:
Wheelchair user

Let the Games Begin 

by Hunter Mastaler (Author), Rosalie Mastaler (Author)

 

Swoosh. Splash. Score! Catch a glimpse of athletes competing in parasports‚ wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, beep baseball and more! With the swoosh of a basketball net, the splash from a pool, and the crash of colliding wheelchairs, discover that the world of sports does not end where disability begins. Sports are for everyone!

Genres:
Non-Fiction, Our Favorites, Picture Book

Mission: Inclusion Margo and You 

by Megan Craft 

Come spend a fun-filled morning with Margo. Margo is a young girl with a feeding tube, who loves playing outside and spending time with her giant tortoise. Margo and You is the first book in the Mission: Inclusion(TM)️ series.

Mission: Inclusion(TM)️ books help children understand and identity with characters with disabilities. Join Margo and and her friends as they celebrate similarities and differences on their journey of Mission: Inclusion(TM)️.

Genres:
Picture Book

Where In the Garden?

Logan's Greenhouse

by JaNay Brown-Wood

Logan searches for carrots in his wheelchair-accessible greenhouse in this vibrant exploration of gardening and healthy eating, from the Where in the Garden? picture book series.

Logan is organizing a pet playdate at his greenhouse for all of his friends, and his treats won’t be the same without his carrots. He’s searched and searched, but his greenhouse is filled with plenty of plants and Logan needs our help to identify them. What do we know about carrots? They’re long, orange, and have bushy leaves at the top—and, wait a moment, is that a carrot? No, that’s a turnip. Where, oh, where could those carrots be? Can you help Logan find them in time for his playdate?

The third title in JaNay Brown-Wood and Samara Hardy’s Where in the Garden? picture book series stars Logan, a young boy who uses a wheelchair and accessible tools while gardening in his greenhouse. Playful text guides young readers to hunt for visual clues and compare and contrast the unique characteristics of carrots against sweet potatoes, leeks, turnips, and other produce that grows in Logan’s greenhouse.

Artist Samara Hardy brings this multi-layered story to life with vivid, cheerful illustrations created from layers of hand painted ink and watercolor texture. Back matter includes a delicious winter carrot soup recipe for little chefs and their adult helpers to try together.

Genres:
Our Favorites, Picture Book

Tags:
Disabilities, Disability representation, Wheelchair user

The Christmasaurus

by Tom Fletcher 

Move over, Rudolph! It's time for the Christmasaurus to lead Santa's sleigh.

The Christmasaurus is a dinosaur who lives with Santa Claus and his elves at the North Pole. More than anything, he wants to fly with Santa's reindeer on Christmas Eve! But no matter how hard he tries, he can't seem to figure out how to fly. . . .

Until one Christmas Eve, when he meets a young boy in a wheelchair who has a wonderful idea. What if all the Christmasaurus needs is someone to believe in him? With playful, rhyming text, international bestselling author Tom Fletcher adapts part of his novel into a heartwarming picture book about friendship and the power of believing that is sure to become a new Christmas classic.

Genres:
Picture Book

Tags:
Disabilities, Disability representation, Wheelchair user

Fifteen Adventures Alongside Disabled Athletes

Tenacious: Fifteen Adventures Alongside Disabled Athletes

by Patty Cisneros Prevo

Meet fifteen remarkable athletes who use adaptive equipment in this beautiful and truth-telling picture book.

A downhill skier whose blindness has sharpened her communication skills. An adaptive surfer who shreds waves while sitting down. A young man who excels at wheelchair motocross--but struggles with math. Tenacious tells their stories and more, revealing the daily joys and challenges of life as an athlete with disabilities.

These competitors have won gold medals, set world records, climbed mountain peaks, claimed national championships, and many more extraordinary achievements. Get to know them in Tenacious!

Genres:
Middle Grade, Non-Fiction, Our Favorites

You're So Amazing!

by James Catchpole  Lucy Catchpole 

When people meet Joe, they often treat him as Amazing Joe or Poor Joe. But can't he just be . . . Joe?

One-legged Joe is 'amazing'. He knows this because wherever he goes people always tell him he's amazing. Amazing for sliding down the slide, for kicking a ball . . . even walking to get an ice cream, or even just eating an ice cream. Of course, being Amazing Joe is better than being Poor Joe . . .

A groundbreaking picture book which explores how we respond to disability.

Genres:
Picture Book

The Mermaid with No Tail

by Jessica Long

Paralympic champion swimmer and gold medalist Jessica Long celebrates the importance of dreaming big and the power of being different in The Mermaid with No Tail. As a baby, Jessica was adopted from a Russian orphanage. Her legs were amputated below the knee when she was 18 months old. Despite this, Jessica has become a world-class swimmer and one of the most decorated athletes of all time.

Dive into this illustrated picture book based on Jessica’s story, where a mermaid with no tail decides she wants to compete in the Mermaid Games. The other mermaids make fun of her for being different. But her adoptive turtle parents are supportive and encouraging, and her shark coach, Phelpsy, teaches her to swim using her arms. The mermaid trains hard, maintains a good attitude, and eventually wins the games.

Genres:
Picture Book

Tags:
Amputee, Disabilities, Disability representation, Limb difference

My Ocean Is Blue

by Darren Lebeuf 

"This is my ocean," the young girl begins as she heads over the dunes with her mother. Then, as they pass the whole day at the seaside, she lyrically describes her ocean in simple, sensory detail. It's both "slimy" and "sandy," "sparkly" and "dull." It has wonderful sounds, as it "splashes and crashes and echoes and squawks." And it contains so many colors, from "rusted orange" to "runaway red," "faded white" to "polished green." Though "mostly it's blue." Nothing the girl experiences escapes her careful observation and appreciation. And at day's end, she can't wait for her next trip to the beach.

Author Darren Lebeuf, an award-winning photographer, uses spare text and a rhythmic style to create an evocative read-aloud. The vivid adjectives, both concrete and abstract, will inspire children to try to capture in words what they notice not only at the ocean, but in any natural setting. The bright, richly colored cut-paper collage illustrations by Ashley Barron add a captivating visual texture and depth to the story. The portrayal of a girl with a physical disability enjoying and actively participating in a day at the beach encourages all children to do the same in their own lives, while also offering a character education lesson in adaptability. This book has strong curriculum ties to primary nature units and life science lessons on oceans and the seaside, and it offers a perfect focus for nature-based education and outdoor classrooms.

Genres:
Our Favorites, Picture Book

Tags:
Disabilities, Disability representation

My City Speaks

by Darren Lebeuf

A young girl and her father spend a day in the city, her city, traveling to the places they go together: the playground, the community garden, the market, an outdoor concert. As they do, the girl describes what she senses in precise, poetic detail. Her city, she says, “rushes and stops, and waits and goes.” It “pitters and patters, and drips and drains.” It “echoes” and “trills,” and is both “smelly” and “sweet.” Her city also speaks, as it “dings and dongs, and rattles and roars.” And sometimes, maybe even some of the best times, it just listens.

Genres:
Picture Book