Mermaid Blog

Disability in children’s books – book created by Motor Neurone Disease patient set to entertain, educate and raise money!

Sam Perkins is 38 and was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (‘MND’) last year. He is currently a patient at Nottinghamshire Hospice and also features in a new children’s book designed to raise money as well as informing and educating children about disabilities. MND is a degenerative condition that affects the nerves in the brain… Read more »

Disability in children’s books revisited Part I – are disabled characters finally entering mainstream children’s literature?

In 2012, I wrote a blog discussing the absence of disability in contemporary children’s fiction. At the time, I observed that disability had been all but forgotten by most mainstream authors. Whilst inclusivity in children’s literature is widely regarded as important, especially in representing minority groups, disability seemed to have fallen by the wayside. Happily,… Read more »

Walking in the footsteps of Captain Tom – two inspirational youngsters from Yorkshire play their part in raising money during the COVID-19 crisis

Captain Tom is now a household name. The one hundred-year-old ex-serviceman, who raised almost £33m for the NHS during the Coronavirus pandemic by completing one hundred laps of his garden before his one hundredth birthday, received a coveted gold Blue Peter badge for his extraordinary feet. But his efforts have had a wider effect than… Read more »