I Am, You Are: Let's Talk About Disability, Individuality and Empowerment

by Ashley Harris Whaley, Ananya Rao-Middleton (Illustrations)

A powerful, practical book to help children and adults have meaningful discussions about disability.

This book was written by disability activist Ashley Harris Whaley to support children, parents, teachers and carers, by explaining what disability is and why it should be celebrated.

Fully-illustrated throughout by talented illustrator and advocacy campaigner Ananya Rao-Middleton, I Am, You Are is aimed at children aged four and above.

Containing explanations on key words and concepts written in child-friendly, accessible language, with relatable examples, this book supports children's understanding in building an anti-ableist stance from an early age. Most importantly, the book empowers and encourages children to embrace individuality; to look out for one another, to be respectful and to celebrate disability as diversity.

It is perfect to read at home, and in classrooms, to support your child's life-long learning journey.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

Published August 6, 2024

Reviews

[I Read, Therefore I Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ashley Harris Whaley is a writer, speaker and disability rights activist. This sensitive, clearly written book for readers aged 5+ (beautifully illustrated by Ananya Rao-Middleton) discusses disability, what it is to be disabled and most importantly, why disability is important and how we can benefit from including disabled people in everyday life and there’s a handy note at the back for adults who are reading along with young readers.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ironically, with my vision impairment I found the text hard to navigate and follow... but liked the illustrations and message.

[Kitchen Sink Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Am You Are a book about disability, individuality and empowerment, is the first book written by Ashley Harris Whaley, a disability activist, with the aim of offering support to children, parents, teachers and carers. Her aim is to explain what disability is and why we should all celebrate it. The book has been fully illustrated by Ananya Rao-Middleton who is also a campaigner for advocacy, and it is published by Ladybird books. The book is powerful and helps children and adults, whether reading it together or separately, to have those meaningful conversations about disability which it is incredibly important to have. The language and presentation of the book make it perfect for children to read alone, an ideal book for home and school settings, for quiet conversations and for learning.

Reading this book, sharing the experiences of the characters illustrated, all of whom have differing disabilities in order to illustrate the different ways in which we can all help one another, encourages children to think and to question. There are explanations for key words – for example limitation which is explained as a disability which limits what people can do. The language is perfectly pitched to children aged 4 and above and the examples are all taken from real life so that children can perfectly relate to them. From an early age it is important that children understand the importance of an anti-abelism stance, and this book does just that. A book that supports the life-long learning journey of all children it will always be relevant and deserves to be widely shared.