What Happened to You?

Joe is playing his favourite game of pirates, sharks and crocodiles in the park when several children he hasn’t met before turn up.  A little girl shouts, ‘You’ve only got one leg!’  ‘Yup’, says Joe.  And then all the children start asking questions, which Joe doesn’t want to answer, like – what happened? –  where’s your leg? – perhaps it fell off – was it a lion? –  maybe a thousand lions? – did it fall off in the toilet?!  No, no, and no, Joe shouts.  It becomes clear, both from his facial expression and his silence, that he doesn’t want to talk about it.  The children finally twig to this, and the first little girl begins to join his game as though nothing has happened.  James Catchpole is missing a leg himself, and he understands only too well that questions like this are not only boring, but intrusive and difficult to handle.  This theme – about how people with disabilities dislike being queried about their disabilities – is particularly apt in a children’s book, both because it is often children who are prone to asking such and because it shows a lack of empathy with others.  It is also very unusual in a picture book!  The story comes along at a great time for use in both classroom and home, and the text, together with excellent illustrations, make the point clearly, but with humour and fun.