James Catchpole

Joe is tired of being called amazing for doing ordinary things, so he decides to make himself invisible so people will notice how amazing his friend Simone is. But then, a dad pities him for sitting and watching, so he has to get up and run and jump. But then, he starts knocking a ball around, and takes a few shots against his frien Yuto's big brother, Yui. And a few of them go in - amazing! "And that's how it was with people Joe knew....With them, Joe wasn't Amazing Joe, and he wasn't Poor Joe. He was just Joe."

Back matter includes a "Dear Adult" letter from James and Lucy Catchpole, asking for disability to be treated as normal, not a reason for inspiration or pity.… (more)

Joe is deeply involved in an imaginary game on the playground when, "YOU'VE ONLY GOT ONE LEG!" another kid yells. "What happened to you?" they ask, but "Joe didn't feel like telling that story," so he asks them to guess. Lots of kids start guessing. Finally, the first kid enters Joe's imaginary game, asking, "Is that a crocodile down there?" They introduce themselves, then the other kids join their game of pirates, with imaginary swords, bandanas, sashes, and flags. Later, Simone, displays empathy, asking Joe if he gets tired of people asking about his leg. ("What do YOU think?" he replies.) Then he asks, "Do you still need to know what happened?" and Simone says no.

In a "Dear Adult" note at the end, there are some suggestions for adults whose kids have questions about people with disabilities, including "it has to be okay not to know" - not just because of manners, but because of empathy.

Gouache and colored pencil illustrations on a white background give plenty of breathing space, even on a busy playground scene; the overall tone is somewhat calm. The kids' heads are large and round, eyes small and wide-spaced.

Schneider Family Book award honor… (more)