July is Disability Pride Month, and we’re celebrating by highlighting a selection of the Butler Center’s picture books about disability. Our feature pick is Marcel With a Splash by Julia Sorensen, translated by Shelley Tanaka. When Marcel is born, he seems just like any other baby, except for his webbed toes. Soon, though, his doctors notice signs that he has Down syndrome. Too young to know or care what these words mean, Marcel grows and learns at his own pace in his pre-school days. Filled with evocative colored pencil illustrations, Sorensen’s book follows Marcel through his early life, his struggles, and his triumphs.

Check out more picture books on disability below!

Ady and Me
Rich Pink and Roxy Pink
Illustrated by Sara Rhys
The Quarto Group/words & pictures
Available now!

All About Brains: A Book About People
Lake Bell
Illustrated by Rachel Katstaller
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Available now!

Marcel With a Splash
Julia Sorensen
Translated by Shelley Tanaka
Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press
Available now!

Seven: A Most Remarkable Pigeon
Sandra Nickel
Illustrated by Aimee Sicuro
Available now!

Wanda Hears the Stars: A Blind Astronomer Listens to the Universe
Amy S. Hanson with Wanda Diaz Merced
Illustrated by Rocio Arreola Mendoza
Available August 19, 2025