What Happened to You? is a pioneering picturebook addressing how a child might want to be spoken to about a visable disability. The author, James Catchpole, like the main character Joe, has one leg, and uses the story to help readers to understand what it might feel like to be seen as different. The spotlight is given to the main character Joe, who gently explains his viewpoint about always being asked to answer questions about his disability when he encounters other children, when what he really wants to do is just join in and play without interrogation. The story tackles a difficult topic in a manner that is both funny and moving, and this is wonderfully supported by the illustrations by Karen George.
The story is steeped in realism about how children can potentially react to disabilities. What is clever about the story is how the same scene is viewed in two different ways and how this makes Joe feel. Humour is used to balance the story well, and helps children not to feel accused or guilty if their natural inclinations towards curiosity may lead them to ask the same questions as Joe’s playmates, but rather to develop empathy and warmly understand another’s experience…