BANGOR – A new program for disabled children and their parents is stocking library shelves across the state with books about understanding and caring for children with special needs.

Through its new Special Needs Library Collections program, the Jeremiah Cromwell Disabilities Center out of Portland has distributed books about children with disabilities free of charge to 43 public libraries in Aroostook, Franklin, Oxford, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset and Washington counties.

A reception to celebrate the program will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, at Bangor Public Library. It is free and open to the public.

For information, call the Jeremiah Cromwell Disabilities Center at 775-9955.

Paid for by a grant from the Betterment Fund, the program is separated into two collections: one for children with disabilities and their peers, and the other for their parents and educators.

According to Jamie Kaplan, executive director of the Cromwell center, the amount of resources available for parents and educators about raising and teaching disabled children is low.

“Whether you walk into a major bookstore, a library or a school library, you name it, these books simply are not available,” Kaplan said. “Raising any child is a daunting task. Raising a child with a developmental disability increases the need for knowledge exponentially.”

Kaplan said he hopes the books will give people a better understanding about raising and educating disabled children.

“Our aim here is to get the word out to the people, for whom these publicly accessible resources will be very valuable and worthwhile,” he said.

The children’s collection, which includes illustrated stories for children ages 5-12, will be used to promote acceptance and understanding of children with disabilities by their peers, and to portray disabled children in a positive light, Kaplan said.

“They serve as diversity and anti-discrimination training,” he said.

Books like “Ian’s Walk: A Story About Autism,” by Laurie Lears, and “We’ll Paint the Octopus Red,” by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen, describe the way children with autism and Down syndrome interact with their siblings and peers, and how, although they may be different, are still able to do many of the same things as children without developmental disabilities.

Kaplan said the reaction to the books, which were shipped to libraries last week, has been overwhelmingly positive.