Schneider Family Book Award

Click here for the Schneider Family Book Award Manual (PDF)
Bibliography of Children's Books about the Disability Experience (pdf)
Teen Winner
2023 Winner(s)
The Words We Keep

A beautifully realistic, relatable story about mental health—anxiety, perfectionism, depression—and the healing powers of art—perfect for fans of Girl in Pieces and How it Feels to Float. Whatever you struggle with, you are not alone and you are already enough—just the way you are.
2023 Honor(s)
Teen Honor

In this gorgeously written and authentic novel, Verónica, a Peruvian-American teen with hip dysplasia, auditions to become a mermaid at a Central Florida theme park in the summer before her senior year, all while figuring out her first real boyfriend and how to feel safe in her own body.
Middle Grade Winner
2023 Winner(s)

WILDOAK
Maggie’s parents send her to her grandfather’s home in hopes that the Cornish countryside will improve her stuttering. There, she finds and saves an abandoned snow leopard that had once been purchased as a pet. In Wildoak Forest, she learns that “all things speak…just not in the same language. With luminous language and a complex, layered story, this book stands out as an exemplary representation of disability as integral to identity and self-acceptance
Middle Grade Honor
2023 Honor(s)

Gillian McDunn explores boyhood in a funny, big-hearted story about a kid trying to find the best way to be his best self. Elliott has been struggling since his closest friend moved away, and he's not too sure where he fits into his own family, especially since his newly remarried dad and stepmom are expecting a baby. His grades aren't too great, he's always forgetting things, and he doesn't really like sports.

a heartfelt story about a girl who -- armed with her trusty, snazzy wheelchair -- refuses to let her brittle bone disease stand in the way of adventure.
Young Children Winner
2023 Winner(s)

Listen: How Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf Girl, Changed Percussion
As a child, Evelyn Glennie loved music. After the nerves in her ears began to degenerate, she became deaf. Defying doctors’ predictions, Evelyn persevered to find an innovative way to listen and play percussion, becoming an award-winning musician. The words and art reflect the rhythm and movement of her experiences.
Young Children Honor
2023 Honor(s)

In the Blue
An emotional and tender award-winning picture book that accessibly explores depression within a family, through the use of color. As one father embarks on an emotional journey, his daughter will navigate life lived in and around his depression. This poignant and important story, with its use of color to indicate the ups and downs of one family's emotions, is an accessible way to discuss mental illness with young readers.