The World We Can Build

‘It’s not right!’ Carla says. ‘This world is unfair, for people like me who use a wheelchair. We need a new world where we can play, too. I know – we’ll invent it! Yeah, that’s what we’ll do.’

The World We Can Build is the second collaboration between musical artist, writer, and disability advocate Eliza Hull, Australian Children’s Laureate Sally Rippin and illustrator Daniel Gray-Barnett. Come Over to My House introduced us to the home lives of various kids and parents who are Deaf or disabled. The World We Can Build follows up by looking outside the home to public and shared spaces.

It’s a simple rhyming story that is inspired by the social model of disability. This model focuses on the barriers the world creates, rather than a person’s impairment. A couple of kids trying to play together recognise some barriers to accessibility, so they team up and creatively brainstorm ideas about how they might change things for the better.

With exuberant, brightly coloured illustrations, this is an excellent book to encourage us all to think about how we can make the world more accessible for everyone, through thoughtful collaborative changes, both big and small. For ages 3+.