All about Us: 20 True Tales of Courage and Disability - Hardcover

by Hannalora Leavitt (Author), Stef Wong (Illustrator)

★"A fantastic introduction for middle-grade students interested in learning more about the world of disabilities. This much needed resource belongs in all libraries"--Booklist, starred review

Meet twenty inspiring kids and adults living with disability today.

Stefan Daniel is a Paralympian who began competing when he was 16 and won Canada's first paratriathlon medal in 2016. Zamaan Jivraj, aka The Granola Kid, launched an online granola company and doesn't let his diagnosis of Down syndrome define him. Stella Bartlett is a teen singer and performer from CBC's Ukulele U, where she was the only performer on the show with a disability.

From journalists to NASA scientists to TikTok stars and kidpreneurs, young readers will be introduced to people who were born with a disability and others who became disabled because of illness or an accident. All About Us explores the basic categories of disability: intellectual, sensory, physical and invisible. Readers will discover how every disability, whether it's deafness, blindness or neurodiversity, has its own unique set of adaptations to help manage the tasks of daily life. No two blind people, intellectually challenged people or people who use wheelchairs are the same.

The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Author Biography

Hannalora Leavitt lives on Vancouver Island on Canada's west coast. She has a master's degree in writing from the University of Victoria. All About Us is her second book about people with disabilities and the different worlds in which they live. She knows and understands difference because she too has a disability. Hannalora has been legally blind since the age of eleven due to a cancerous brain tumor that permanently damaged her optic nerves. She uses braille and a talking computer to write her stories. Her standard poodle guide dog, Ogden, keeps her company while she works.

Stef Wong is an illustrator and surface pattern designer. Through her portraits, she enjoys highlighting those who have overcome adversity and adding fun and whimsy to products with her patterns. Her work is bold, colorful and vibrant. She lives with her husband, son and daughter in Vancouver.