Rated E for Everyone
What happened to you?
Was it a shark? A burglar? A lion?
Did it fall off?
A boy named Joe is trying to play pirates at the playground, but he keeps being asked what happened to his leg. Bombarded with questions and silly suggestions, Joe becomes more and more fed up. Until the kids finally understand that they don’t need to know what happened. And that they’re wasting valuable playtime!
This honest, funny, and authentic picture book is an empowering read for anyone with a disability and for young readers learning how best to address differences.
The kids come up with some ridiculous theories about Joe’s ‘missing’ leg. I love how their best explanation for someone not having a leg is that it ‘fell off.’ It’s a bizarre concept, a leg falling off.
I like how the story shows Joe being annoyed by the kids’ questions. It’s important to teach kids that it’s not polite to ask people you don’t know personal questions. This is a concept that some adults need to learn, too.
This story is based on the author’s real childhood experiences. Be sure to read the letter to adults at the back of the book, where the author gives suggestions on how to talk to your kids about disabilities.
The most important thing to know about disabled people is that they are “just like anyone else, getting on with their busy day, not looking to be a teachable moment.”