Celebrating love, authenticity and acceptance: picture books to fill blind children with pride

June marks Pride Month and we’re flying the pride flags at Living Paintings! Pride Month is a great time to talk to children about love in all of its forms, acceptance, inclusivity and being true to your authentic self.

We have plenty of accessible picture books for blind children in our collection that can help with the conversations and learning. And, with it being Pride Month, what better way to talk about them than using the colours of the pride flag and their meanings as inspiration?

RED – LIFE

The first colour on the pride flag is red, which is for LIFE. What springs to mind when we think of life? Perhaps a heart, which moves blood around our bodies, or perhaps love? All these things are very important to us.

Another big part of life is learning about different people and different experiences. That’s why books like The Smeds and the Smoos, Elmer, and Coming to England are great for getting blind and visually impaired young children to connect with the lives of others and become more loving individuals.

• Explore our Celebrating our Differences collection!

ORANGE – HEALING

Up next on the pride flag is orange, which is for HEALING. Doctors and nurses heal us when we don’t feel well, but what about when we feel sad? We all feel down from time to time, so what heals us then?

This is often covered in children’s books. Blind and visually impaired children will love Where the Wild Things Are, because it is a story we can all relate to.

We have all let our feelings get the better of us, and we have all wanted to escape, and important lessons of family and forgiveness shine through in this book.

Then there’s Grandad’s Camper, a tale of sharing stories that will resonate with all age groups. Young readers will also learn the joy of spending quality time with their loved ones.

• Explore our Understanding Feelings collection!

YELLOW – SUNLIGHT

What yellow thing greets us every morning? Well, only some mornings in the UK… it’s SUNLIGHT! Sunlight is hopeful. It’s the bright and shiny centre of the rainbow. It’s also said to inspire new ideas in us…

For some inspirational reads, blind and visually impaired children can dive in to A Superhero Like You, which celebrates key worker and shows that not all superheroes wear capes, or My Beautiful Voice, which encourages creativity and shows that, no matter who you are, your voice is beautiful!

Take a listen to an excerpt from My Beautiful Voice below!

GREEN – NATURE

Green is the next colour in the pride flag, and it stands for NATURE. With the effects of climate change all too clear, we need to do all we can to make sure we protect nature, and the planet as a whole.

For blind and visually impaired children wanting to learn more about nature and the planet, we’ve a whole range of books in our free library. You can browse our collection of Green Reads, with titles like Little People, BIG DREAMS: David Attenborough, Clean Up!, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Learn about the life of England’s most treasured environmentalist, the dangers of pollution, and the beautiful changes nature goes through.

BLUE – CALMNESS

We’re nearing the end of the flag now. Next is blue, which is for CALMNESS. In our busy world, it’s not always easy to be calm. Everything whizzes by so quickly, and it can make us feel off.

But, to quote the second-best Beatle, “all things must pass,” and through speaking to others, or enjoying our favourite hobbies, we can become calm again. Have a read of Ruby’s Worry or My Monster and Me, two lovely books that make ‘worry’ a real, physical thing – It’s great for helping younger people come to terms with these complex emotions!

PURPLE – SPIRIT

Time for the final colour on the pride flag, which is purple, and this stands for SPIRIT. All of us have spirit. It’s what makes us ‘us’ and the purple in the flag is there to say that our spirits – we – cannot be beat. It also celebrates those who fought for equality.

There are a range of titles to go for here: Look Up! follows a young girl eager to get everyone excited about a meteor shower, Malala’s Magic Pencil educates children about the youngest ever Nobel Prize winner, and Fantastically Great Women offers young girls insight into the many astounding women who’ve shaped history.

Through exploring the meaning behind the colours of the pride flag – life, healing, sunlight, nature, calmness, and spirit – blind and visually impaired children can gain the tools they need to more fully understand themselves and the world around them.

To see our full range of Touch to See books, visit our library.