What Happened to You?

James and Lucy Catchpole and their children holding a copy of the What Happened to You picture book. They're a disabled couple with brown hair.

the children’s book

Photo of James Catchpole - a man with one leg and short brown hair - holding the US edition of his picture book, What Happened to You? He's sitting on the floor looking up at the camera.

What Happened to You? by James Catchpole

A picture book about intrusive questions, from a disabled child’s perspective – by a disabled author. Contact us.

Order the book in the UK
Order the book in the US

As a one-legged child and now adult, I’ve been asked ‘what happened to you?’ all my life.

So I wrote a picture book – What Happened to You? – that would have told me as a child that it wasn’t my duty to answer that question. A book that tells us a story from a disabled child’s perspective – a child who just wants to play but finds himself bombarded by questions.

I want disabled children to know they don’t have to answer personal questions, and non-disabled children and adults to learn – despite what they’ve been told – that it’s not ‘always best to ask’. And I hope this website* shows I’m far from the only disabled person with this opinion!

[A YouTube video about What Happened to You – James sits on the stairs with a hastily photo-shopped US cover of the book. Video includes his children and wife, and a photo of James as a rather cute one-legged child.]
[James Catchpole – a read-aloud. James sits on the stairs with his book – What Happened to You? – illustrated by Karen George]

The response to What Happened to You? has been wonderful – from disabled and non-disabled children and adults.

This is a video my wife made about the book, before it came out. And there’s a read-aloud by me below that.

You can buy a copy anywhere, but if you’d like to order through our affiliate link in the UK or the US that’s always lovely.

If you’re a teacher, you might be interested in the lesson plans on our blog.

What Happened to You? is illustrated by Karen George. It’s published by Faber in the UK, and is out in the US with Little Brown in 2023 – same book, different cover.

And a sequel, You’re SO Amazing! – co-written with my wife Lucy, who’s also disabled – is on its way. Its focus is inspiration – there’s more about it on our blog.

Scroll down for some of Karen’s illustrations from the book – and advice from the back page…

Advice for adults with LOUD children!

From the back of the book…

Dear Adult, Does your child want to know everything about every disabled person they see, all at once, and at TOP VOLUME? Here are my suggestions:: Don’t panic. You don’t want to make your kids awkward. A calm, matter-of-fact tone works best. Answer simply and generally: yes, some people have one leg, or use a wheelchair, or move and speak differently, and that’s OK. Disability is normal. Educate generally: some people use wheelchairs if their legs don’t work so well, some people are born without a leg, some people lose one in an accident etc. It’s good to be curious BUT…be clear you don’t know this person specifically, and it has to be OK not to know. It’s not polite to ask people you don’t know personal questions. WHY? asks your child… Manners, for one thing. But also; empathy! Just imagine how BORING it would be having to answer the same question all the time! If it’s too late and your child has already popped the question directly, then you can be fairly sure the disabled person has dealt with this scenario a hundred times before, and has their way of handling it, probably with good humour… but it’s still worth your child knowing that disabled people are just like anyone else, getting on with their busy day, not looking to be a teachable moment. Best of luck! James [A photo of James mid-parenting is at the top - he's wearing a prosthetic leg over his clothes and holding his baby, whose legs are dangling gorgeously.]
This is the last page of What Happened to You? – also in text below. Now available in postcard form, too,

Dear Adult,

Does your child want to know everything about every disabled person they see, all at once, and at TOP VOLUME?

Here are my suggestions:

  1. Don’t panic. You don’t want to make your kids awkward. A calm, matter-of-fact tone works best.
  2. Answer simply and generally: yes, some people have one leg, or use a wheelchair, or move and speak differently, and that’s OK. Disability is normal.
  3. Educate generally: some people use wheelchairs if their legs don’t work so well, some people are born without a leg, some people lose one in an accident etc.
  4. It’s good to be curious BUT…be clear you don’t know this person specifically, and it has to be OK not to know. It’s not polite to ask people you don’t know personal questions. WHY? asks your child…
  5. Manners, for one thing. But also; empathy! Just imagine how BORING it would be having to answer the same question all the time!

If it’s too late and your child has already popped the question directly, then you can be fairly sure the disabled person has dealt with this scenario a hundred times before, and has their way of handling it, probably with good humour… but it’s still worth your child knowing that disabled people are just like anyone else, getting on with their busy day, not looking to be a teachable moment.

Best of luck!

James

'Imagine being asked the same question over and over again...'
Illustration by Karen George. Joe - a small white boy with blonde hair and a striped top - looks a little bit sad.
'"Is that a crocodile down there?" and Joe said, "Yes, I think so."' - Karen's illustration shows Simone, a black girl, and Joe talking to each other. Joe is holding a sword, and the other children stand at the side looking on.
Joe, Simone and all the children are playing pirates - Karen uses a rich gold to illustrate the fantastical elements that really exist only in their imaginations - the sword, a pirate ship, a flag, rigging etc.

One book – two covers

What Happened to You - USA - April 2023, published by Little Brown, UK - available now from Faber. The UK cover shows Joe, a one-legged white child standing on a swing. He's not wearing a prosthetic, and is winking at the viewer. The US cover shows Joe next to his friend Simone both on swings - a Black child with two legs and a rainbow t-shirt.
What Happened to You? – comes out in the US in April 2023 – the cover on the left. Both books are illustrated by Karen George. Find out more from Little Brown here. The UK edition on the right is still going strong here!

What Happened to You? is also now available in Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch – and soon, French.

We’ve already mentioned this above – do buy it anywhere you like. But if you’d like to order through our affiliate links from Blackwells in the UK or Bookshop in the US we get an extra percentage, which is always very nice.

*For the avoidance of doubt, my wife put this website together. She’s great.