A lot of visitors to this website are in the USA – which is perfect, because we’re now published in America, by Little Brown
A second cover reveal in one month feels excessive, but here we are – the cover of the new US edition of What Happened to You? And actually, I checked our blog stats the other day. Most on our Instagram are from the UK, but a surprisingly large percentage here are from North Americans – so hello!
What Happened to You? first came out in 2021, but this new US edition with Little Brown publishes in April. So we added it to the video we made about the book. (I know – seamless. You probably didn’t notice…)
Pre-orders are now open in Barnes & Noble, bookshop.org and of course Amazon – though do check for the right cover.
If you’d like to support us and the book by buying through bookshop.org, that’d be lovely.
From the start, we’ve had messages from all over the world. Intrusive questions are clearly a problem for disabled people everywhere.
The messages from parents whose disabled child sees themselves in this book are particularly precious. We really do value every message, story and email.
And we hope this edition – by such a well-known US publisher – will break out beyond our remarkable supporters, to find new people who need it.
It feels cheeky to ask for pre-orders, but if you’re in North America and can support this new edition and show demand by pre-ordering for a friend / relative / cat we’ll be grateful. Because if you’ve found us here, chances are you aren’t really the target for this new edition – you’re the vanguard who can say “of course I’ve had the UK edition for years”.
But this is a chance for What Happened to You? – and its message – to reach many more people.
I don’t believe a US publisher would have happened without all of our US supporters who found us here and on Instagram – who waited for weeks back in 2021 for copies to come through. If that’s you, thank you! I’m sorry you have a wait for the sequel – You’re So Amazing! comes out in the US in 2024.
We exist in such an international bubble, on social media, but publishing is still bound by borders. (Of course, in reality, wherever you are in the world you can order directly through Blackwell’s, with shipping from the UK included.)
BREAKING NEWS: I can now confirm that US publicity will include James being interviewed for a podcast by a robot vampire vacuum cleaner.
Edit: What Happened to You? is a Schneider Family Book Awards Honor Book for 2024!
Edit: We now also have a What Happened to You? lesson plan specifically for the US – Little Brown have adapted from our original. It’s for ages 3 to 6, and you can download it for free just below.
As of 2024, we now have three picture books out! The third – Mama Car – is coming to the US in 2025. Plus there’s an essay in an anthology by disabled parents, and a little reading book from James.
Find more, including ordering details, at books by Lucy and James.
[Video description: For most of the video, James – a white man with brown hair and one leg – sits on the stairs talking directly to the camera. We’ve pasted the new Little Brown cover over the top of the early printed-out version of What Happened to You? Cut in is video of him with his young daughters and wife (a wheelchair user) in the garden. He’s using crutches and clearly has one leg. There’s also a photo of him as a young child, wearing very fetching dungarees. At the end, Mainie – then 5yo – carries 1yo Viola right up to the camera. Viola looks nonplussed.]
The Catchpoles 