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Books Featuring Characters With Blindness and Visual Impairment

The books I have been able to find and read have a notation of availability in braille/audio formats. Most of those I found on the NLS web page, and you can look there for places to get them.

The books listed at the bottom of the bibliography are ones that I have seen listed somewhere, have been told about, or have found from some other source. They are books I have not been able to locate and actually read, so all I know about them is what you see here. Please let me know if you have questions or if you find others that need to be included on this list.

Please remember these books are a starting point for discussion and understanding, and make sure you always read the book yourself before giving it to a student!

Enjoy!

Janie Humphries
ESVI
PO Box 668
Little Rock, AR 72203
501-296-1815
jhumphries@asb.k12.ar.us

A Picture Book Of Helen Keller
David A. Adler, Illustrated by John and Alexandre Wallner; Holiday House, New York, 1990.
-A brief picture book biography of Helen Keller.
Business Is Looking Up
Barbara Aiello and Jeffrey Shulman, Illustrated by Loel Barr; Twenty-First Century Books, Fredrick, Maryland, 1988; grades 3 - 6; audio/braille.
-Renaldo Rodriguez, an eleven-year-old child who is blind, sets up a greeting card service for stepfamilies.
Mom Can't See Me
Sally Hobart Alexander, Photographs by George Ancona; Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York, 1990; grades k - 3; audio/braille.
-A nine year old girl tells about life with her mother who is blind.
Mom's Best Friend
Sally Hobart Alexander, Photographs by George Ancona; Macmillan Publishing Co., New York, 1992; grades 2 - 4; audio.
-Sally Alexander and her family adjust to her new dog guide.
One Of Us
Nikki Amdur, Illustrated by Ruth Sanderson; The Dial Press, New York, 1981; grades 3 - 6; audio.
-When Nora moves to a new town she makes friends with Jerry, who is blind.
A Guide Dog Puppy Grows Up
Caroline Arnold, Photographs by Richard Hewett; Harcourt Brace and Company, San Diego, 1991.
-Follows the career of a guide dog from puppyhood through the training process to placement with a person who is blind.
Sing To The Stars
Mary Brigid Barrett, Illustrated by Sandra Speidel; Little, Brown, and Co., Boston, 1994; grades k - 3; audio.
-Ephram makes friends with Mr. Washington and his dog guide Shilo.
Seeing In Special Ways
Thomas Bergman; Garth Stevens Children's Books, Milwaukee, 1989.
-Interviews with a group of children at the Tomteboda School in Sweden
Arthur's Eyes
Marc Brown; Avon Books, New York, 1979; preschool - grade 3; audio.
-Arthur's friends tease him about his new glasses but he soon learns to wear them with pride.
See You Tomorrow, Charles
Miriam Cohen, Illustrated by Lillian Hoban; Greenwillow Books, New York, 1983; preschool - grade 2; audio.
-First graders learn to accept Charles, the new boy in their class who is blind.
See The Ocean
Estelle Condra, Illustrated by Linda Crockett-Blassingame; Ideals Children's Books, Nashville, 1994; grades k - 3; audio.
-One foggy day Nellie is the first in her family to know when they reach the ocean on vacation.
The Gift
Helen Coutant, Illustrated by Vo-Dinh Mai; Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1983; grades 3 - 6; audio.
-A young girl searches for the perfect gift to give her elderly friend who has returned home from the hospital after losing her vision.
The Seal Oil Lamp
Dale DeArmond; Sierra Club Books, San Francisco, 1988.
-A retelling of an Eskimo tale about a seven year old boy who is blind and left to die by the people of his village.
Jeremy's Dreidle
Ellie Gellman, Illustrated by Judith Friedman; KAR-BEN COPIES, INC., Rockville, Maryland, 1992.
-Jeremy signs up for a Hanukkah dreidel workshop and makes one with braille dots for his dad who is blind.
Watch Out Ronald Morgan
Patricia Reilly Giff; Viking Press, New York, 1987; grades k - 3; audio.
-Ronald Morgan has an array of humorous mishaps until he gets his glasses.
Cakes And Miracles (A Purim Tale)
Barbara Diamond Goldin, Illustrated by Erika Weihs; Puffin Books (Published by The Penguin Group), New York, 1991; preschool - grade 2; audio/braille.
-After an angel in a dream tells Hershel to make what he sees in his head, he uses his hands and memories to make cookies for the Purim holiday in his village.
Sound Of Sunshine, Sound Of Rain
Florence Parry Heide, Illustrated by Kenneth Longtemps; Parents Magazine Press, New York, 1970; grades 3 - 6.
-A young boy listens carefully to the world around him as he makes his way through his day.
Jenny's Magic Wand
Helen and Bill Hermann, Photographs by Don Perdue; Franklin Watts, Inc., New York, 1988; grades k - 4; audio/braille.
-After attending a school for children who are blind, Jenny worries about going into a pubic school classroom.
Mandy Sue Day
Roberta Karim, Illustrated by Karen Ritz; Clarion Books (a Houghton Mifflin Imprint), New York, 1994; grades k - 3; audio.
-A young girl who is blind spends her special day with her horse and together they drink in the sounds, tastes, smells and feel of an autumn day.
Apt. 3
Ezra Jack Keats; Macmillan Publishing Co.; New York, 1971; grades k - 3; audio/braille.
-Sam and Ben meet the resident of Apt. 3 who is blind.
Cromwell's Glasses
Holly Keller; Greenwillow Books, New York, 1982; preschool - grade 2; audio.
-It is easier for him to see when Cromwell gets his glasses, but now his siblings tease him for how he looks.
Naomi Knows It's Springtime
Virginia L. Kroll, Illustrated by Jill Kastner; Boyds Mill Press, Honesdale, Pennsylvania, 1993; grades k - 3; audio.
-A young girl who is blind experiences the first signs of spring.
The Rose Colored Glasses: Melanie Adjusts To Poor Vison
Linda Leggett and Linda Andrews; Illustrated by Laura Hartman; Human Sciences Press, New York, 1979.
-A young girl adjusts to wearing glasses and helps her classmates understand what it means to have low vision.
The Fourth - Grade Four
Marilyn Levinson, Illustrated by Leslie Bowman; Henry Holt and Company, New York, 1989.
-Afraid that his friends will tease him for wearing glasses, fourth-grade Alex refuses to wear them anywhere but at home.
A Cane In Her Hand
Ada B. Litchfield, Illustrated by Eleanor Mill; Albert Whitman and Co., Morton Grove, Illinois, 1977; grades 1 - 4; audio/braille.
-Valerie learns new skills and techniques from a vision specialist as her sight changes.
Through Grandpa's Eyes
Patricia MacLachlan, Illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray; Harper Collins Publishers, New York, 1980; grades k - 3; audio/braille.
-A young boy learns a different way of seeing from his grandfather who is blind.
Listen For The Bus: David's Story
Patricia McMahon, Photographs by John Godt; Boyds Mill Press, Honesdale, Pennsylvania, 1995; grades 2 - 4; braille.
-A real life look at David, who is blind and hearing-impaired, as he begins kindergarten.
Lucy's Picture
Nicola Moon, Illustrated by Alex Ayliffe; Dial Books For Young Readers, New York, 1994; preschool - grade 2.
-Lucy creates a special picture for her grandfather who is blind.
Jennifer Jean, The Cross-Eyed Queen
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Illustrated by Karen Ritz; Carolrhoda Books, Minneapolis, 1994.
-Jennifer Jean likes her big green crossed eyes and doesn't want to wear a patch.
Happy Birthday, Grampie
Susan Pearson, Illustrated by Ronald Himler; Dial Books For Young Readers, New York, 1987; grades k - 3; audio.
-Martha takes care to make just the right gift for her Swedish grandfather who has lost his vision.
Sally Can't See
Palle Petersen; John Day Company, New York, 1974.
-Describes the life of a twelve year old girl who is blind as she learns to read, swim and ride a horse.
Spectacles
Ellen Raskin; Antheneum, New York, 1980.
-Iris sees things that aren't really what they seem to be until an optometrist gives her glasses.
My Mother Is Blind
Margaret Reuter, Pictures by Philip Lanier; Children's Press, Chicago, 1979; preschool - grade 2; audio.
-A young boy describes how everyone comes to terms with his mother's blindness.
My Friend Leslie
Maxine Rosenberg, Photographs by George Ancona; Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Books, New York, 1983; grades k - 3; audio.
-The adventures of Leslie, a kindergarten child who is deaf-blind.
A Guide Dog Goes To School
Elizabeth Simpson Smith, Illustrated by Bert Dodson; William Morrow & Co., Inc., New York, 1987; grades 2 - 4.
-Follows a puppy as she goes through training to become a dog guide.
The New Boy Is Blind
William E. Thomas; Julian Messner Books, New York, 1980.
-Ricky and his sighted classmates adjust to his blindness when he becomes the new student in their fourth grade classroom.
All The Better To See You With
Margaret Wild, Illustrated by Pat Reynolds; Albert Whitman and Company, Morton Grove Illinois, 1992.
-Because Kate is the quiet one in her family her parents are slow to notice she is nearsighted.
Little Stevie Wonder In Places Under The Sun
Sonja Wiley, Illustrated by Joel Schick, Sounds and Voice by Stevie Wonder; Golden Books, New York, Western Publishing Company, Inc., Racine, Wisconsin, 1995.
-Little Stevie Wonder goes to Japan with his friends to play a concert.
The Seeing Stick
Jane Yolen; Thomas Crowell Co., New York, 1997; grades k - 3; audio.
-Emperor's daughter is blind and a mysterious old man with a seeing stick teaches her to see with her fingers, her mind, and her heart.
Seven Blind Mice
Ed Young; Philomel Books (a division of The Putnam & Grosset Group), New York, 1982; grades k - 3; braille.
-Seven blind mice explore and discover different parts of an elephant.
Like It Is
Barbara Adams, Photographs by James Stanfield; Walker and Company, New York, 1979.
-A chapter in this book about disabilities features an interview with Toni who is blind.
The Boy And The Blind Storyteller
Paul Anderson, Illustrated by Yoong Hwan Kim; E.M. Hale and Company, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, 1967.
-Ah Sung, a young Korean boy, meets an old man who is a blind storyteller near his village.
The Witch's Daughter
Nina Baldwin, Clarion Books, New York, 1966; grades 4 - 7; audio/braille.
-On the Scottish island of Skua, a friendship develops between the lonely, mysterious Perdita, and Janey, who is blind.
The Dog Days Of Arthur Cane
T. Ernesto Bethancourt; Holiday House, New York, 1976; grades 7 -12.
-A teen aged boy is turned into a dog and becomes the companion of a street musician who is blind.
Louis Braille
Beverly Birch; Gareth Stevens Children's Books, Milwaukee, 1989.
-A biography of Louis Braille and the system of writing and reading that bears his name.
Gift Of Gold
Beverly Butler, G.K. Hall and Co., Boston, 1973; grades 7- 12; braille/large print.
-Cathy struggles with the pressures of college, romance and the possibility of regaining her vision in the sequel to Light A Single Candle.
Light A Single Candle
Beverly Butler; Pocket Books, New York, 1962; grades 7 - 12; audio/braille.
-Cathy loses her sight to glaucoma and experiences a school for the blind and public school.
The Man Who Sang In The Dark
Eth Clifford, Illustrated by Mary Beth Owens; Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1987.
-Ten year old Leah starts a new life with the help and friendship of a man who is blind in a Philadelphia boarding house during the depression.
Go Tell It To Mrs. Golightly
Catherine Cookson; Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, New York, 1977.
-A girl who is blind in sent to live with her grandfather and uncovers a kidnapping ring in their small town.
The Absolute, Ultimate End
Julia First; Franklin Watts, New York, 1985; grades 6 - 9; audio.
-After Maggie is assigned to be a reader for Doreen, who is blind, the two girls become friends. They organize a protest against spending cuts, uniting students with disabilities and those without in a common struggle.
Out Of Darkness: The Story Of Louis Braille
Russell Freedman, Illustrated by Kate Kiesler; Clarion Books, New York, 1997; grades 3 - 6; audio/braille.
-A children's biography of Louis Braille.
Follow My Leader
James B. Garfield, Illustrated by Robert Greiner; Viking Press, New York, 1957; grades 4 - 7; audio/braille.
-Jimmy loses his vision in an accident and learns braille and orientation and mobility skills before receiving a dog guide and becoming active in the Boy Scouts again.
Tom Sullivan's Adventures In Darkness
Derek L. T. Gill and Tom Sullivan; David McKay Company, Inc., New York, 1976; grades 5 - 8; audio/braille.
-Stories of the childhood, adolescence and early adulthood of Tom Sullivan, a singer and composer who lost his vision at birth due to retinopathy of prematurity.
The World Of Ben Lighthart
Jaap ter Haar; Dell Publishing Co., 1977; grades 5 - 8.
-A teen aged boy loses his vision in an accident and must make plans to continue his education and decisions about how he will live the rest of his life.
Half The Battle
Lynn Hall; Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1982; grades 7 - 12; braille.
-Jealous of the attention that has always been focused on his brother who is blind, Loren takes drastic action to achieve recognition for himself when the teenagers enter an endurance horse back ride.
Murder At The Spaniel Show
Lynn Hall; Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1988.
-Sixteen year old Tabby works as a kennel girl for a dog breeder who is blind.
The Story Of Stevie Wonder
James Haskins; Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co., 1976; grades 7 - 12; audio.
-Biography of the Grammy award winning singer and composer.
The Unfrightened Dark
Isabelle Holland; Little, Brown, and Co., Boston, 1990.
-When her beloved dog guide is dognapped, Jocelyn determines to solve the mystery of his disappearance and get him back.
Emma And I
Sheila Hocken; Victor Gollancz, Ltd., London, 1977; audio/large print.
-The story of Sheila Hocken and her dog guide, Emma, and their life together even after Sheila regains her sight.
Mystery Of The Missing Map
Lois Walfrid Johnson; Bethany House Publishers, Minneapolis, 1994.
-Kate, Anders, Eric and Megan, who is blind, try to find a long-lost map that will lead to a fortune in silver in 1907 Michigan.
The Story Of My Life
Helen Keller; Doubleday and Co., Garden City, New York, 1905; grades 9 and up; audio/braille.
-An autobiography of Helen Keller, including excerpts from her letters.
Belonging
Deborah Kent; Dial Press, New York, 1978; grades 7 - 12; audio/braille.
-Longing to be like everyone else, fifteen year old Meg decides to enroll in public shool instead of contiuing at a special school for students who are blind.
To Race The Wind
Harold Krents; G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1972; grades 10 - adult; audio/braille/large print.
-The autobiography of the young blind man who was the inspiration for the Broadway play "Butterflies Are Free".
Is There Life After Boys?
Linda Lewis, Pocket Books, New York, 1987.
-Linda becomes involved with a school service club that focuses on a residential school for the blind.
From Anna
Jean Little, Illustrated by Joan Sandin; Harper and Row, New York, 1972; grades 4 - 7; audio/braille.
-Anna, who has low vision, and her family move from depression-era Germany to Canada and Anna gets new glasses and attends a special school
Listen For The Singing
Jean Little; E.P. Dutton, New York, 1977;grades 5 - 8; audio.
-In this sequel to From Anna, a young Canadian girl with visual impairment prepares to begin public high school at the outbreak of World War ll.
Little By Little
Jean Little; Viking Press, New York, 1988; audio/braille.
-The education and development of one of Canada's leading children's authors, who has been nearly blind since birth.
Tom And Bear
Richard McPhee; Thomas Y. Crowell, New York, 1981; grades 7 and up; audio/braille.
-A diary of the author's twenty-six day observation at Guiding Eyes for the Blind
Listen For The Fig Tree
Sharon Bell Mathis; The Viking Press, New York, 1973; grades 10 - 12; audio.
-Muffin Johnson, a teen-ager who is blind, wants to attend a Kwanza festival the first Christmas after her father is murdered. (strong language and adult themes)
Blind Flight
Hilary Milton; Franklin Watts, New York, 1980.
-A 13 year old girl who has lost her vision is with her uncle in his small plane and when he is injured she must land the plane with the verbal assistance of other pilots.
Shark Shock
Donna Jo Napoli; Dutton Children's Books, New York, 1994; grades 3 - 6; audio.
-Eleven year old Adam makes friends with a boy who is blind during his family's vacation at the beach.
Keep Your Head Up, Mr. Putnam
Peter Putnam, Harper & Row, New York, 1952; audio.
-Recounts the author's experiencs at the Seeing Eye School in Morristown, New Jersey after loosing his sight while a student at Princeton University.
Carver
Ruth Yaffe Radin, Illustrated by Karl Swanson; Macmillan Publishing Co., New York, 1991; grades 4 - 7; audio.
-After his father dies ten year old Jon goes to public school in his home town instead of returning to a school for children who are blind.
Sun And Shadow
Rose Resnick; Atheneum, New York, 1975; audio/braille.
-Blind since childhood, the author relates her life from impoverished beginnings in New York's Lower East Side to her success as a professional musician and social worker in San Francisco.
To Catch An Angel
Robert Russell; Vanguard Press, 1962; audio/braille/large print.
-Biography of a man who was blinded at age five and studied at Oxford before becoming a college teacher.
The Gray Ghosts Of Taylor Ridge
Mary Francis Shura, Illustrated by Michael Hampshire; Dodd, Mead and Company, New York, 1978.
-Nathan and Nan hunt for Civil War treasure at the home of an old man who is blind.
Life At My Fingertips
Robert J. Smithdas; Doubleday, Garden City, New York, 1958; audio/braille.
-Story of the author, who is deaf-blind, and his education and accomplishments.
If You Could See What I Hear
Tom Sullivan, Harper & Row, New York, 1975; audio/braille.
-Autobiography of musician Tom Sullivan who became blind shortly after birth.
The Cay
Theodore Taylor; Doubleday & Co., Garden City, New York, 1969; grades 5 - 8; audio/braille/large print.
-A young American boy and an elderly West Indian man are stranded on a barren Caribbean island after a shipwreck that leaves the boy blind.
Timothy Of The Cay
Theodore Taylor; Harcourt Brace and Co., San Diego, 1993; grades 5 - 8; audio/braille.
-In this sequel/prequel to The Cay, Philip undergoes an operation to restore his sight and makes a return trip to the cay he shared with Timothy.
The Trouble With Tuck
Theodore Taylor; Doubleday, New York, 1981; grades 3 - 6; audio/braille.
-A young girl trains her blind dog to trust and follow a retired dog guide.
What Love Sees
Susan Vreeland; Thorndike Press, Thorndike, Maine, 1988; audio/braille/large print.
-The story of Forrest and Jean Holly and their experiences as a couple and as parents who are both totally blind in California from the 1940s to the 1970s.
The Guide Dog Mystery
Gertrude Chandler Warner; Albert Whitman and Co., Morton Grove, Illinois, 1996.
-Four children help solve a mystery at a local school for dog guides.
Blindness
Malcolm E. Weiss; Franklin Watts, New York, 1980.
-Discusses blindness and techniques and materials used by people who are blind
Hannah
Gloria Whelen, Random House, New York, 1991; grades 3-6; audio.
-A new teacher convinces an 1887 Michigan farm family to let their daughter Hannah, who is blind, attend school.
Into The Dark
Nicholas Wilde; Scholastic, New York, 1987; grades 6 - 9; audio/braille.
-Matt, a young boy who is blind, makes friends with a ghost on a seaside holiday.
Journey To The Bright Kingdom
Elizabeth Winthrop, Illustrated by Charles Mikolaycak: Holiday House, New York, 1979.
-The mice of Kakure-sato grant a bind woman temporary sight during the journey she and her kind daughter make to their magical underground kingdom.
Connie's New Eyes
Bernard Wolf; J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia, 1976; grades 4 - 7; audio.
-After her training, Blythe becomes Connie David's guide dog.
Taking Hold, My Journey Into Blindness 
Hobart, Sally Alexander; (ISBN 0-02-700402-3) Simon & Schuster, 1994:Book for readers 8 and up that chronicles the two years in which Sally Hobart Alexander became blind. The first half of the book deals with the going blind experience; the second half describes how she learned to live with it. The book ends with a new beginning. (Christopher medal winner)
On My Own: The Journey Continues
Hobart, Sally Alexander; Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 1997: The sequel to "Taking Hold," this book tells the story of re-entering the sighted world as a blind person and finding a satisfying life. Ages 9-up. (Junior Library Guild selection)
Do You Remember the Color Blue 
Hobart, Sally Alexander; (ISBN 0-670-88043-4) Viking, 2000: This book answers thirteen  major and several minor questions that the author is always asked during school visits by elementary, middle, and high schoolers. Ages 7 and up. (Junior Library Guild selection)

Books Featuring Characters who are Visually Impaired from the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School.

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Last Revision: October 28, 2008