The Catchpoles

More children than working legs

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Owning It Lesson Plan jpgs, Owning It - a thick middle-grade book - in the middle. A4 sheets - lesson plan and slideshow - surround it. Bio photos of some of the authors are just visible.
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Owning It: Our disabled childhoods| A lesson plan – KS2, KS3

Lucy - a white woman with long brown hair - sits in her wheelchair, with both daughters perched on and around her. They're smiling at the camera.
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Mother’s Day – disability, joy and wheelchairs

‘Happy International Wheelchair Day everyone. (Whether you buy my book or not ;-) )
Featured Lucy & James Catchpole

International Wheelchair Day | Disability, joy and defiance

A photo of our family, celebrating "You're So Amazing!" receiving a Schneider Family Book Award Honor from the ALA. Text reads: “Our book about disability and NOT being amazing is a Schneider Family Book Award Honor book! We’re in our garden, trees and greenery behind. James and Lucy - a white disabled couple - and their two young daughters wear clothes that vaguely suggest a pirate theme, with hats and bandanas. We’re all sitting, with Lucy in her wheelchair - holding a book our picture book "You're SO Amazing!". Viola - age 6 - has an open-mouthed expression of great joy / surprise - who can tell? Book cover: “You're So Amazing” - the US hardback, a children's picture book with a cream background. On the illustrated cover are three children between 4 and 6yo - an East Asian boy, a white one-legged boy with yellow crutches, and a Black girl. They have a football and look happy.
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An ALA honor for our book about disability and NOT being amazing

Can we talk about Tiny Tim? The caption reads: "Can we talk about Tiny Tim? A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens." Underneath, a 1924 black and white illustration by Harold Copping of Tiny Tim, a young boy from Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. He is leaning on a crutch, with a serious expression on his face. Over the top, a torn fragment of a page with a quote from the novella: "he hoped the people saw him in the church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas-day who made lame beggars walk and blind men see."
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On Tiny Tim, disability and A Christmas Carol

Text reads: 'Our big list of children's books by disabled authors / Chosen by disabled reviewers'. Image behind: a collage of jpgs of most of the books in this list.
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Children’s books by disabled authors | A big list for Disability History Month

Book announcement! Lucy and James - a white disabled couple - sit in their kitchen holding a large postcard with the title ‘Owning It: Tales From Our Disabled Childhoods’. Text reads ‘Announcement!’ on cream torn paper. It’s a cosy room with teacups and crockery on shelves. James is wearing a linen shirt and the new brown waistcoat, Lucy is wearing a dark brown cardigan and matching beret - we’re both smiling. We’re holding books by some of the contributors.
Featured Lucy & James Catchpole

Announcing Owning It: Our disabled childhoods in our own words

My big poetry post
Featured Lucy & James Catchpole

Poems for kids | My children’s 6 favourite poetry books

Mama Car lesson plans: A4 pages spread out on a wooden background. On the left: titled 'Learning Resources Key Stage 1, 2 and above' with 5 pages behind it. On the right, titled 'Learning Resources EYFS-Year1 (ages 3-6), with 9 pages behind. Pages are fanned out, contents is not visible. In the centre, picture book Mama Car. Text below reads: 'Mama Car lesson plans'
Featured Lucy & James Catchpole

Free Mama Car lesson plans | Wheelchairs, disability & joy

Lucy Catchpole with Mama Car, read by her daughters. Text reads: Mama Car is out now! By me - Lucy Catchpole
Featured Lucy & James Catchpole

Mama Car | The comfort and joy of a mother’s wheelchair | My picture book out today!

Text reads 'Winners at the IBC awards!' Lucy and James - a white disabled couple with their daughters - hold a copy of You're So Amazing and the IBC trophy. The trophy is transparent, making it almost invisible. Lucy is laughing.
Featured Lucy & James Catchpole

We Won! | You’re So Amazing and the Inclusive Books for Children Award

Photo of the Observer magazine - headline is 'Yes, we're parents' - a very large photo of Lucy and James in their garden takes up almost all of both pages, with a column of print on the right.
Featured Lucy & James Catchpole

‘I didn’t expect motherhood to legitimise me’ | Us! In the Observer magazine

Text reads 'Disability and charity - it's complicated.' The image is the mid-section of one of those old charity collection boxes - they were all over the UK in the 1980s but come from an earlier era. They're essentially statues of children, this one is a boy with an underarm crutch and a caliper, holding a box marked 'Action for the crippled child' - this is the box you'd put your money in.
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Disability does not equal charity

James and Lucy Catchpole - a full length photo
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You’re SO Amazing! | By us, Lucy & James Catchpole | a cover reveal

Lucy and James Catchpole - text over photo reads: 'Disability - tips for illustrators, by actual disabled publishing people'.
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Disability | Tips for illustrators | By real life disabled publishing people

A photo of Lucy and James, sitting with a pile of books from the disabled authors list
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Disability! 20 great books – all by disabled authors

What Happened to You? lesson plans. A4 pages spread out on a wooden background. Pages are fanned out, contents is not visible. In the centre, picture book What Happened to You?. Text below reads: 'What Happened to You? lesson plans'
Featured Lucy & James Catchpole

Official What Happened to You? lesson plan | With author James Catchpole

NO representation is better than bad representation - Lucy Catchpole. Photo: Lucy Catchpole, a mirror selfie. She's a white woman sitting in her wheelchair.
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No representation is better than bad representation | Lucy Catchpole on disability

What Happened to You? By James Catchpole
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What Happened to You? | By me – James Catchpole | Cover reveal

Wheelchairs. Why the stigma? Thoughts from Lucy Catchpole. Photo of Lucy - a white woman with long brown hair - in her wheelchair with her two small daughters.
Featured Lucy & James Catchpole

Wheelchair | Literally a chair with wheels

Signed bookplates for Disability Pride Month - illustrated stickers for Mama Car and What Happened to You - signed by Lucy and James Catchpole
July 1, 2025October 29, 2025 Lucy & James Catchpole

Signed bookplates to send – for Disability Pride Month | Closed till 2026

'February literally didn't exist in early Roman calendars'...
February 8, 2025July 1, 2025 Lucy & James Catchpole

January and February literally didn’t exist?! Makes sense.

Millions of schoolchildren mark Children in Need every year - and Disability History Month? Very few.
December 6, 2024January 22, 2025 Lucy & James Catchpole

Children in Need vs Disability History Month

Seasons in the Wild - our family - growing with these books
October 24, 2024August 6, 2025 Lucy & James Catchpole

Four children’s books for four seasons | Autumn Feast

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