Melissa Hart grew up with a brother who has Down syndrome and worked as a special education teacher for a decade before becoming a journalist and author. Her new book, inspired by her brother, is Down Syndrome Out Loud: 20+ Stories of Disability and Determination. Heather Avis adopted two children with Down syndrome and writes picture books celebrating inclusion and the unique gifts that all children bring to the table; her latest book is I Like You So Much. We invited Hart and Avis to discuss their books, advocacy, and how storytelling creates empathy.

Melissa Hart: My brother was born with Down syndrome in 1975 and pediatricians told my parents to institutionalize him. My mother refused; she raised him with as much inclusion as possible. He was the inspiration for my becoming a special education teacher before I became a journalist and author. My middle grade novels, Avenging the Owl and Daisy Woodworm Changes the World, feature main characters with Down syndrome, and my [forthcoming] book [on the subject] is nonfiction.

What’s your connection to Down syndrome, Heather?

Heather Avis: I applaud your mother. I was also a special education teacher. My three kids came to me through adoption—my 16-year-old daughter and my 11-year-old son have Down syndrome. In 2015, a publisher reached out and asked if I wanted to turn my story of becoming a mother into a book, which became The Lucky Few: Finding God’s Best in the Most Unlikely Places. That opened the door to the publishing world.

Hart: I adopted my daughter from the foster care system; she suffered from early childhood neglect and trauma and still struggles with anxiety, but she has a huge heart, especially for people like her uncle, my brother.

I looked at the merch on your website for The Lucky Few, and I love the t-shirt that says “You Are Enough.” Those three words are powerful.

Avis: They encapsulate what I want to put in the world. Bettering ourselves is not a bad thing. But when I question my worth as a human because I’m not fast enough, smart enough, talented enough, able enough... that idea becomes problematic. When you give that messaging to kids with disabilities—you need to do better and more—they learn that your ability is what gives you value. The core messaging in my new book is that you deserve a space in this world just as you are.

Hart: My brother and I grew up without books representing his genetic condition or affirming his worth. He inspired me to interview activists, actors, athletes, and entrepreneurs with Down syndrome worldwide. I gathered 22 profiles into Down Syndrome Out Loud, combined with exuberant portraits by Spanish illustrator Maria Perera.

What inspired you to write I Like You So Much?

Avis: I wanted to create a picture book allowing every kid to see themselves in a story without it being disability-specific. Still, children with disabilities can identify and connect with the pictures and the message. There’s a line that says, “What the whole, wide, wild, world needs the most is you being you.” That’s the message I want kids to hear.

What was your process in gathering the stories for Down Syndrome Out Loud?

Hart: This book represents many of the ways diversity shows up in the world. Some of my subjects are extremely verbal, and some express themselves through dance or music or art. There’s a diversity of ethnicity and ages; I profile activist and swimmer Karen Gaffney, 47, and high school student Alex Lee, who just turned 18. There are stories about health challenges and childhood surgeries of varying degrees, as well as anecdotes about bullying, discrimination, or lack thereof.

Avis: When I’m writing books, I have a reader in mind. Who do you hope will read your book?

Hart: I see posts on Facebook from parents saying, “I’ve just given birth to a baby with Down syndrome, and I’m devastated.” I want them to read this book. There’s still so much stigma, and so many doctors who don’t understand this genetic condition, who say, “Your child’s never going to read or write, much less have the ability to dream and pursue those dreams.” I want them to read this book.

Avis: I envision handing my book to moms and saying, “Your baby gets to be who they are.” Our children are full of truth and goodness.

By the way, I’ve interviewed both Kayla McKeon and Charlotte Woodward from your book. They’re both so great.

Hart: They fought to access the same K–12 education as their non-disabled peers, and now they’re on Capitol Hill working as activists for the National Down Syndrome Society. They share their personal narratives so generously, offering insight into their challenges and goals. Their powerful storytelling reminds me of the studies I read while writing Better with Books: 500 Books to Ignite Empathy and Encourage Self-Acceptance in Tweens and Teens—studies that explore the correlation between reading and increased empathy.

How will your newest book create empathy in children?

Avis: A picture book has two stories: the words and the pictures. When kids read I Like You So Much, I hope they’ll be content with the person they are. The pictures tell a story of inclusion. Some characters have impetigo, or they’re a wheelchair user, or they have a prosthetic limb. Readers can point to a kid in a picture and say, “What’s happening here?” The adult can explain, “This is a kid on a playground who’s a wheelchair user.” That’s going to create empathy and understanding.

Hart: I’d say parents need your book as much as kids. A few years ago, my brother shook a little girl’s hand in a grocery store, and her mother yanked her away and said, “Don’t talk to people like him!” Reactions like hers and the use of the “R-word” devastate people with Down syndrome. I’m hoping our books dispel discrimination and fear.

Avis: You can’t know what you don’t know. That’s why I write picture books. Some kindergartners haven’t had access to people with disabilities. Down Syndrome Out Loud and I Like You So Much are tools for knowledge. Many times, someone’s pointed at my kids in the park and said, “What’s wrong with them?” It comes from curiosity. Our books help parents to have conversations. They can say, “Here’s a book. After you read it, you can research the topic to learn more.”

Down Syndrome Out Loud: 20+ Stories of Disability and Determination by Melissa Hart. Sourcebooks, $16.99 June 3 ISBN 978-1-4642-1669-5

I Like You So Much by Heather Avis. Zonderkidz, $19.99 June 3 ISBN 978-0-310-16659-7