Literature
Rationale
I believe that literature is a wonderful way to incorporate mental wellness and exceptionalities into mainstream culture. I have personally read some of these picture books and novels and upon completion of my research, was happy to see how many different exceptionalities are covered by literature. I am impressed with the volume of YA novels that discuss potentially hard to talk about topics in an approachable way! I think that these texts can be used by students to learn acceptance and understanding about different exceptionalities, but also by the students with those exceptionalities, so that they know they are not alone. Both of these uses are incredibly powerful!
Below I have selected to showcase a few of my favourites! I have not read all of them, but I have added them to my list. This is nowhere near the full, all-encompassing list of literature highlighting exceptionalities; but it is a wonderful place to start!
I believe that literature is a wonderful way to incorporate mental wellness and exceptionalities into mainstream culture. I have personally read some of these picture books and novels and upon completion of my research, was happy to see how many different exceptionalities are covered by literature. I am impressed with the volume of YA novels that discuss potentially hard to talk about topics in an approachable way! I think that these texts can be used by students to learn acceptance and understanding about different exceptionalities, but also by the students with those exceptionalities, so that they know they are not alone. Both of these uses are incredibly powerful!
Below I have selected to showcase a few of my favourites! I have not read all of them, but I have added them to my list. This is nowhere near the full, all-encompassing list of literature highlighting exceptionalities; but it is a wonderful place to start!
No Matter What - By: Debi Gliori, Illustrated by: Debi Gliori
The key message behind this simple and beautiful book for small children is that the love a parent feels for a child is constant and never dies, no matter what happens. The two characters, a parent (Large) and a child (Small) are not identified as male or female. Small is 'grim and grumpy' and says 'nobody loves me at all'. Large provides reassurance that Small will always be loved, grumpy or not. Small asks many 'what if..?' questions: "If I turned into a bug, or a bear, or a crocodile, would you still love me?" Large explains comfortingly that their love will never go away, no matter what. The author addresses the difficult issue of what happens to love when a parent dies. |
Tappity-Tap What Was That - By: Claire Freedman, Illustrated by: Russel Julian
Owl, Mouse and Rabbit are friends and have a Very Important Meeting to talk about the Monster of the Woods. Owl has a plan to follow in case he ever comes calling on a dark and stormy night. They are all very scared of the Monster! That night there is a tappity-tap at the door and Owl follows the plan, but each time it turns out to be Rabbit and then Mouse calling by. Finally there is a Tappity-Tap and the Monster is at the door! The monster turns out to be a very cute bedraggled furry thing who is actually very nice and is more scared of the storm than they are. Finally the book ends with them all at another Very Important Meeting and the Monster revealing his real name. |
The Huge Bag of Worries - by: Virginia Ironside, Illustrated by: Frank Rodgers
Jenny has been worrying a lot lately, about a lot of different things. Is she getting too fat? Does her pet dog have fleas? Then one day she discovers a huge bag of worries at the end of her bed and it follows her everywhere. She doesn't feel she can tell anyone about the bag of worries and begins to think they will never go away. But once the old lady from next door explains that Jenny needs to open up the bag and share the worries with someone else, Jenny is pleased to find that the worries don't seem so big after all. |
Silly Billy- By: Anthony Browne, Illustrated by: Anthony Browne
Billy worries a lot and can't sleep. He goes to stay with Grandma and she solves the problem by giving him a set of worry dolls to tell his worries to. He then worries who they in turn will tell their worries to, so he makes another set for them. |
Blueloon - By: Julia Cook, Illustrated by: Anita DuFalla
Meet Blueloon — a sad little balloon who is suffering from depression. With help from the wise rock, Blueloon learns what he can do to “bounce back” to being the way he used to be — bright, round, and full with a very straight string! Although clinical depression is often thought of as an adult disease, it can affect children, as well. Unfortunately, children may not have the maturity to understand what is happening to them, or they may feel powerless to change their situation, so they don't speak up about what they are going through. It is up to adults to be on the lookout for signs of trouble, and recognize when a child needs help. |
The Color Thief: A Family’s Story of Depression- By: Andre Fusek Peters & Polly Peters, Illustrated by: Karen Littlewood
A child recounts his experience of losing his father to depression in this poignant and beautifully illustrated picture book. The boy’s father disappears into a world without color. As the father seeks help, color begins to reappear and with it hope. An ideal book for parents and caregivers to share with children to help them make sense of the devastating effects that depression can cause. |
Danny and the Blue Cloud: Coping with Childhood Depression - By: James Foley, Illustrated by: Shirly Ng-Benitez
Danny was born under a blue cloud. He didn't know why, but sometimes the cloud made him cry. Some days he didn't want to get out of bed. Some days he was one big GROWL! With the help of Barnaby the rabbit, Danny learns to think more helpful thoughts, feel better about himself, and dance his way into a better mood! He practices Barnaby's "Feel-Good Rules" until his cloud turns lighter and brighter. Eventually, Danny learns that he has the power to turn even the biggest, bluest cloud into a beautiful rainbow. |
Meh.- By: Deborah Malcolm
Sadness is an emotion that everyone feels at some time or another. But sometimes you might feel a sadness so long and so deep and dark that it seems impossible to find happiness. That kind of sadness is called depression. Meh is a wordless picture book about one boy's journey through depression. Discussion questions at the back of the book are intended for parents or teachers to discuss depression with children. |
Looking after Louis - By: Lesley Ely, Illustrated by: Polly Bunbar
Looking after Louis is the story of a little boy, Louis, who is autistic and is a student in a regular elementary classroom. His friend, an unnamed little girl, narrates the story as she and her classmates try to understand Louis and some of his unusual behaviors. Louis repeats what others say. He colors pictures that others don’t understand. He runs about through the children’s soccer game. Though the children are sweet and generally accepting of Louis, they do begin to notice that Louis is allowed to do some things they aren’t – and point it out. But then a moment comes along in which everyone recognizes Louis’s effort to communicate something special to him. That leads another child to invite Louis to play with him, but it isn’t recess. His teacher, understanding that this is a teachable moment, allows them to go outside with Louis’s aide. The little girl at first resents what she views as special treatment, until her teachers gives her a moment to consider her opinion. Ultimately, she decides that sometimes it’s okay to break rules and expectations for special people – thus supporting the idea of inclusion in the regular classroom. It’s okay that some things are different for students who require it, but everyone can be friends. |
All the Bright Places - By: Jennifer Niven
Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him. Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death. When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink. |
Everything, Everything - By: Nicole Yoon
My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla. But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly. Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster |
Mosquitoland- By: David Arnold
After the sudden collapse of her family, Mim Malone is dragged from her home in northern Ohio to the "wastelands" of Mississippi, where she lives in a medicated milieu with her dad and new stepmom. Before the dust has a chance to settle, she learns her mother is sick back in Cleveland. So she ditches her new life and hops aboard a northbound Greyhound bus to her real home and her real mother, meeting a quirky cast of fellow travelers along the way. But when her thousand-mile journey takes a few turns she could never see coming, Mim must confront her own demons, redefining her notions of love, loyalty, and what it means to be sane. |
Thirteen Reasons Why - By: Jay Asher
Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker--his classmate and crush--who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why. Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah's pain, and as he follows Hannah's recorded words throughout his town, what he discovers changes his life forever. |
Fans of the Impossible Life - By: Kate Scelsa
Mira is starting over at Saint Francis Prep. She promised her parents she would at least try to pretend that she could act like a functioning human this time, not a girl who can’t get out of bed for days on end, who only feels awake when she’s with Sebby. Jeremy is the painfully shy art nerd at Saint Francis who’s been in self-imposed isolation after an incident that ruined his last year of school. When he sees Sebby for the first time across the school lawn, it’s as if he’s been expecting this blond, lanky boy with mischief glinting in his eye. Sebby, Mira’s gay best friend, is a boy who seems to carry sunlight around with him. Even as life in his foster home starts to take its toll, Sebby and Mira together craft a world of magic rituals and impromptu road trips, designed to fix the broken parts of their lives. As Jeremy finds himself drawn into Sebby and Mira’s world, he begins to understand the secrets that they hide in order to protect themselves, to keep each other safe from those who don’t understand their quest to live for the impossible. |
The Memory of Light - By: Francisco X. Stork
Vicky Cruz shouldn’t be alive. That’s what she thinks, anyway—and why she tried to kill herself. But then she arrives at Lakeview Hospital, where she meets Mona, the live wire; Gabriel, the saint; E.M., always angry; and Dr. Desai, a quiet force. With stories and honesty, kindness and hard work, they push her to reconsider her life before Lakeview, and offer her an acceptance she’s never had. Yet Vicky’s newfound peace is as fragile as the roses that grow around the hospital. And when a crisis forces the group to split up—sending her back to the life that drove her to suicide—Vicky must find her own courage and strength. She may not have any. She doesn’t know. Inspired in part by the author’s own experience with depression, The Memory of Light is the rare young adult novel that focuses not on the events leading up to a suicide attempt, but the recovery from one—about living when life doesn’t seem worth it, and how we go on anyway. |
Finding Audrey - By: Sophie Kinsella
An anxiety disorder disrupts fourteen-year-old Audrey’s daily life. She has been making slow but steady progress with Dr. Sarah, but when Audrey meets Linus, her brother’s gaming teammate, she is energized. She connects with him. Audrey can talk through her fears with Linus in a way she’s never been able to do with anyone before. As their friendship deepens and her recovery gains momentum, a sweet romantic connection develops, one that helps not just Audrey but also her entire family. |
Made You Up - By: Francessca Zappia
Alex fights a daily battle to figure out the difference between reality and delusion. Armed with a take-no-prisoners attitude, her camera, a Magic 8-Ball, and her only ally (her little sister), Alex wages a war against her schizophrenia, determined to stay sane long enough to get into college. She’s pretty optimistic about her chances until classes begin, and she runs into Miles. Didn't she imagine him? Before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing all the usual rites of passage for teenagers. But Alex is used to being crazy. She’s not prepared for normal. |
Every Last Word - By: Tamara Ireland Stone
Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can't turn off. Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn't help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she'd be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school. So when Sam meets Caroline, she has to keep her new friend with a refreshing sense of humor and no style a secret, right up there with Sam's weekly visits to her psychiatrist. Caroline introduces Sam to Poet's Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse, and starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more "normal" than she ever has as part of the popular crowd . . . until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear. |
The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B - By: Teresa Toten
When Adam meets Robyn at a support group for kids coping with obsessive-compulsive disorder, he is drawn to her almost before he can take a breath. He's determined to protect and defend her--to play Batman to her Robyn--whatever the cost. But when you're fourteen and the everyday problems of dealing with divorced parents and step-siblings are supplemented by the challenges of OCD, it's hard to imagine yourself falling in love. How can you have a "normal" relationship when your life is so fraught with problems? And that's not even to mention the small matter of those threatening letters Adam's mother has started to receive . . . |
Paperweight- By: Meg Haston
Seventeen-year-old Stevie is trapped. In her life. And now in an eating-disorder treatment center on the dusty outskirts of the New Mexico desert. Life in the center is regimented and intrusive, a nightmare come true. Nurses and therapists watch Stevie at mealtime, accompany her to the bathroom, and challenge her to eat the foods she’s worked so hard to avoid. Her dad has signed her up for sixty days of treatment. But what no one knows is that Stevie doesn't plan to stay that long. There are only twenty-seven days until the anniversary of her brother Josh’s death—the death she caused. And if Stevie gets her way, there are only twenty-seven days until she too will end her life. |
It’s King of a Funny Story - By: Ned Vizzini
Ambitious New York City teenager Craig Gilner is determined to succeed at life - which means getting into the right high school to get into the right job. But once Craig aces his way into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School, the pressure becomes unbearable. He stops eating and sleeping until, one night, he nearly kills himself. Craig's suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety. Ned Vizzini, who himself spent time in a psychiatric hospital, has created a remarkably moving tale about the sometimes unexpected road to happiness. |