Susan Laughs

In any discussion of disability in children’s literature, this title is bound to be the first book mentioned and it is certainly one of the best. Winner of the Nasen Special Educational Needs Book Award on hardback publication in 1999, it has lost none of its impact today. In wonderfully dynamic pictures, we see Susan laughing and singing, splashing and swimming, hiding and spinning and doing all the ordinary, active things children do. She is also fearful sometimes, and is sad when things don’t go well – and, horrors, she can even be naughty! With a loving family and lots of friends, Susan is a child full of life and fun. It is only on the last page we see that she uses a wheelchair: ‘That is Susan through and through – just like me, just like you.’ This reissue can only confirm the importance of seeing children with disabilities in books. Unfortunately, it is still comparatively rare that one finds excellence in such stories.