It’s a picture book for little ones called What Happened to You? It’s illustrated by Karen George and it’ll be published by Faber in August this year. We’ll have more information up here in March, before the book heads off to the Bologna book fair in search of foreign publishing partners.

But for now, here’s Faber’s blurb for the online retailers:

‘The first ever picture book addressing how a disabled child might want to be spoken to.

‘Imagine you were asked the same question again and again throughout your life . . . Imagine if it was a question that didn’t bring about the happiest of memories . . . This is the experience of one-legged Joe, a child who just wants to have fun in the playground . . . Constantly seen first for his disability, Joe is fed up of only ever being asked about his leg. All he wants to do is play Pirates. But as usual, one after the other, all the children ask him the same question they always ask, “What happened to you?” Understandably Joe gets increasingly cross! Until finally the penny drops and the children realise that it’s a question Joe just doesn’t want to answer . . . and that Joe is playing a rather good game . . . one that they can join in with if they can stop fixating on his missing leg . . . Because children are children, after all.’

[Image description: James is standing holding an early printed out version of What Happened to You? He’s a one-legged white man in his late 30s, a black crutch is hooked over his arm.]