By Lucy and James Catchpole
Illustrated by Karen George
Little, Brown, 2024
32 pages
978-0-316-50657-1
Ages 4-8
Joe “knew he was amazing because everyone kept telling him he was amazing.” It may be meant as a compliment, but to Joe (white), who has one leg and uses crutches, it’s more annoying than anything. Strangers comment, “You’re so amazing!” as Joe goes down the slide or hangs on the monkey bars with his friends. It’s rather insulting to be told that he’s “so amazing!” as he waits in line to enjoy an ice cream cone. Joe’s friends, too, are puzzled and annoyed; their skills and talents go unnoticed when Joe is around. Even when Joe tries to make himself invisible, he receives unwanted attention—pity—which is worse. Thankfully, Joe has friends who see him not as “Amazing Joe” or “Poor Joe,” but as himself, “just Joe.” When his friend Yui invites Joe to play soccer, Yui doesn’t tell Joe his first shot at the goal is “amazing”—because it’s not. Yui just rolls the ball back to Joe. And out of all the shots Joe takes, he gets three in the goal, which feels truly “amazing” to him. While it doesn’t offer solutions or responses for disabled readers, this child-friendly story successfully depicts the harm done by a phrase commonly directed at disabled people and the comfort that supportive friends can provide. Cheerfully illustrated with gouache and colored pencil, the story is accompanied by a “Dear Adult” author’s note that further contextualizes the message. ©2025 Cooperative Children’s Book Center