You're SO Amazing!

by James Catchpole, Lucy Catchpole, Karen George (Illustrator)

Overview

In this authentic and humorous picture book, a child with a limb difference is tired of being told how amazing he is for doing normal things.

Joe and his friend Simone are practicing their best playground tricks, but everyone keeps saying how amazing Joe is, even when he tries to let Simone be the star. Will he ever get to be just Joe, whether he’s amazing or not?

This companion to What Happened to You? addresses the assumptions people make about those with disabilities in an accessible, honest, and funny way. Based on James Catchpole’s childhood experiences and written with his wife, Lucy, a wheelchair user, You’re SO Amazing! encourages young readers to think of disability the way disabled people do: as normal.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316506571
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	04/16/2024
Series:	What Happened to You? , #2
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	203,702
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

James Catchpole runs the Catchpole Agency with his wife, Lucy, and is the author of What Happened to You? Lucy Catchpole writes about disability, family, and children’s books and has written for the BBC and the Guardian, in addition to running the Catchpole Agency with James. The Catchpoles live in the United Kingdom with their two young daughters and invite you to visit them online at thecatchpoles.net or whathappenedtoyou.co.uk, and on Instagram @thecatchpoles.

Karen George received a first-class honors degree in fine art as well as an MA from the Royal College of Art. She won Waterstones’ “Picture This” competition to illustrate Freddie and the Fairy and now spends her time drawing, painting, and writing. Karen lives in Bristol with her family and Dr. Calamari the cat. She invites you to visit her online at karengeorge.net and on Instagram @karengeorge_books.

Editorial Reviews

* "This book, with its Bob Graham–style cheerful cartoons and utterly common-sense approach, should be in every library. It pulls no punches and lets everyone play on a level field.... Absolutely amazing."—School Library Journal, starred review

Praise for What Happened to You?

A Junior Library Guild Selection

"As a person with a limb difference, 'What happened to you?' is a question I get asked just about every day. With playful illustrations, silly scenarios, and important life lessons, this book teaches us all what's actually important when we make a new friend: seeing them for who they are on the inside. Every child'should have this book on their shelf."—Josh Sundquist, author of We Should Hang Out Sometime

"Basing the story on his own experiences, the author addresses both sides of the query with humor and empathy.... While humorous gouache and colored-pencil illustrations of imagined scenarios keep the tone light, the message comes through clearly."—Booklist

From the Publisher

★ 12/01/2023

PreS-Gr 3—Joe, the modest but imaginative child from What Happened to You?, a story of the irrelevance of his having "only" one leg, returns. Still blond, still in a striped shirt, Joe hates the titular phrase. He knows he is not amazing, he is just like everyone else, and he certainly wishes all of the other children and adults would understand that Joe is not defined by his limbs or lack of them. When he hears anyone say how "amazing" he is, it stops the game. It stops him from playing. He and Simone, who understands, try different games, including one where Joe decides to be invisible so Simone's powerful jumps can be admired on their own. But no one notices her. They think about "poor Joe," who can't run and jump. Condescension and patronizing remarks run rampant in this picture book, which will have adults cringing in recognition. A note from the Catchpoles includes a photo of a baby, a small girl, an adult man with one leg, and a woman using a wheelchair. To children, this will read simply as "family." Joe's own actions are to surround himself with people who get it and don't think of him as "The Joe Show," at least until everyone else catches up. This book, with its Bob Graham—style cheerful cartoons and utterly common-sense approach, should be in every library. It pulls no punches and lets everyone play on a level field. VERDICT This book, about perfectly normal children having a great time, is absolutely amazing.—Kimberly Olson Fakih

School Library Journal

2024-01-05
In this follow-up to What Happened to You? (2023), Joe, who’s missing a leg, contends with scrutiny.

Joe is amazing. Everybody says so—whether he’s hanging on the monkey bars, eating ice cream, or even scratching his bottom. Joe thinks that speedy, athletic Simone is amazing, but onlookers only ever compliment Joe. Joe tries to be invisible so that everyone will praise Simone’s moves. But the parent of one of the kids at the park mistakes his hiding for self-pity and cajoles him to run and jump. Reluctantly, Joe complies, “because being Amazing Joe [is] better than being Poor Joe”—a bind that disabled readers in particular will recognize. All readers, however, will sympathize with Joe’s discomfort as playground visitors point and stare. Tired of “The Joe Show,” Joe practices soccer with a pal and experiences something truly amazing: scoring goals after many tries. The authors’ depiction of strangers’ well-meaning yet patronizing behavior, brought to life by George’s expressive cartoon illustrations, is uncomfortably realistic. The only solution that the book offers, however, is for Joe to surround himself with friends who accept him for who he is: “just Joe.” While supportive friends are helpful, disabled readers may desire concrete tips for directly addressing awkward interactions; moreover, the book seems to imply that disabled people must simply learn to put up with condescending remarks. Joe presents white, Simone is brown-skinned, and background characters are racially diverse.

A reassuring, if not empowering, exploration of the disability experience. (authors’ note) (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews