This purposeful, affirming book about disability concretely addresses some of the realities of being disabled in our society. Vibrant, warm illustrations created with pastel, colored pencils, collage paper, and pen tablet depict a range of smiling, playful children in real and imagined settings, along with their family members and others. Double-page spreads show a wide variety of visible and invisible disabilities, adaptive aids, and mobility or medical devices. The text celebrates the minds and bodies of children with disabilities, while also validating challenges, like existing in a “world that wasn’t built with us in mind. A world starved for creativity and flexibility.” While most of the text is intentionally upbeat, there is honest acknowledgement of the hardship: “All of this—this living, this adapting, this defying—can be exhausting. There’s no shame in feeling it. When you need a break, take it.” Excellent notes from both the author and illustrator offer their personal perspectives and intentions with this picture book anthem of belonging.

We are the scrappy ones. / We live, we adapt, we defy. / Made of stardust and grit, we are spectacular.

Children with disabilities experience the world in all kinds of ways. Yet one thing they share is navigating a world that doesn’t always make space for them as they are. Existing on the edges can feel unfair—and downright exhausting. And at the exact same time, it can also foster creativity, resourcefulness, and adaptability. In a word, scrappiness.

Author and disability advocate Rebekah Taussig has written a groundbreaking anthem of belonging that celebrates the wide range of disabled children and affirms their worth, just as they are. Luminous illustrations by Kirbi Fagan portray a diverse cast of characters living, learning, and playing. A warm, joy-filled book for disabled and non-disabled readers alike.