Posted: June 7, 2016
Books can educate, transform, and inspire us. Children with special needs may not read too many books with characters like them, but is important they do so they know they aren’t alone. There are plenty of books about Cerebral Palsy (including characters or themes) out there (we just need to dig for them) not just for children, but for parents as well. These books can educate and spread hope for those who lives are touched with CP. We want books to educate and inspire everyone possible, so we found 10 books about Cerebral Palsy that children and adults can consider and hopefully enjoy!
For the little ones:
1. “My Friend Suhana: A Story of Friendship and Cerebral Palsy (Growing with Love)” by Shalia Abdullah
This book is about a little girl who becomes friends with Suhana, a girl with Cerebral Palsy. The little girl realizes that she can make a connect with Suhana through art. It shows that you can be friends with people who may be a little different than you and that there is always something that connects people. This is a great read for children with CP or children who are curious about it.
2. “The Adventures of Jackpants!” by Jon Bennion
The author of this book has a son – Jack – who has Cerebral Palsy. Bennion wrote this book to teach Jack’s classmates about CP. This book is about a superhero who struggles with speech and mobility, but he doesn’t let that bring him down. There is also a second book that you can check out by clicking here.
3. “Dillon the Dolphin: Educating Children About Cerebral Palsy” by Shelly Weiss
This book is great for teaching children about CP. It explains the condition in a friendly way that children can understand. You can read this book to siblings, friends, classmates, or cousins who may not completely understand. Teaching children is a great way to get them comfortable of others who may seem different than themselves.
4. “Janine” by Maryann Cocca-Leffler
"Janine" is about a girl who is different than other children her age. When she isn’t invited to a birthday party, Janine questions herself and thinks about changing. This book illustrates accepting yourself and focusing on the positives.
For the adults:
5. “Finnie’s Handling the Young Child with Cerebral Palsy at Home” by Eva Bower
This book was written to guide parents in helping their child with CP gain the most independence possible. It covers management of problems, emotional health, sleeping, feeding, communicating, and more. It is pricy if you buy it new, but you can always purchase a used version. It may just help parents and others learn how to help children with Cerebral Palsy.
6. “Trapped: My Life with Cerebral Palsy” by Fran Macilvey
This book is about Fran Macilvey’s life growing up with CP. She was born in the ‘60s and writes about her journey to self-acceptance. She wants readers to understand what it feels like to have Cerebral Palsy and how if affects someone as an adult. This can be a great book for parents or other adults to get a better feel of what others are going through.
Having a healthy marriage is important and raising children adds a lot of stress, especially if your child has special needs. This book is aimed for parents who want to learn how to cope and handle stressors in a healthy way that is related to their children. Every marriage could use some help and this book may just bring couples together.
8. “Cerebral Palsy: No Child Left Behind” by J.B Snow and Jayden Emily Schultz
To help us understand CP better, this book takes a look into someone’s life with Cerebral Palsy. It is realistic and is encompassing about the condition. It can be a great read for a parent or adult who is trying to understand and gain insight into the world of Cerebral Palsy.
Another book written by J.B Snow, she writes about how to encourage a child to overcome their challenges and become resilient. A child with special needs to be encouraged to use and discover their full potential. There are many special needs children who overcome their challenges and become successful in life. This book will discuss Snow’s theory on how to raise successful and resilient children.
10. “Life with Jake: A Father’s Story” by Kirby Wilkins
“Life with Jake” is a great read for fathers of children with Cerebral Palsy. Wilkin’s son has CP and he writes about challenges, love, and achievements. A great book to remind not only fathers, but mothers as well, that your relationship with your child is important.
Take some time out of your day to learn, find hope, and be encouraged through the books you read. These few books (#5-10) geared towards adults can help you and others learn about CP or see the perspectives of those who are touched by it. Children need to find hope, understanding, and encouragement through books also. For children with CP, they can begin to see that there are others out there going through the same struggles and that those struggles do not define them. These books can be read to children without CP too; to educate them more on the condition. We hope these books are of interest to you and your children and that they inspire your lives.
For questions about Cerebral Palsy or books for children and adults, please feel free to reach out to us by phone at (800) 692-4453 or fill out our contact form on Facebook or our website.
