When Charley Met Emma Release Day!

It’s here! It’s here! When Charley Met Emma is officially released today!!!

As most of you know this day was YEARS in the making, yet suddenly HERE WE ARE.

Here’s what I can tell you: I have done my best by this book. I put my whole heart into it. And I’ll be honest, I’ve been nervous about it at times. Did I say it in the right way? Does the message come across clearly? Does the humor land? But now it is done and I proudly stand by it. All I can do is release it into the world with gratitude and hope.

This book is so much bigger than me, or even Lamp. It’s bigger than disability and limb differences too. This book is for ALL of us. We ALL do better, grow stronger, more compassionate, healthy and kind when we learn about and embrace difference and see the world as it really is. (i.e. the world really has disabled people in it! So we should probably see disabled people in our advertising, media, movies, books, etc.)  When we can remove curiousity and the “otherness” of another human being and see the humanity–the flesh and blood, beating hearts, the recognition of ourselves in another–WE ALL WIN.

The feedback I have received so far has been wonderful. It has been thrilling to hear people speak of the book highly, like Book.Nerd.Mommy  or TheStoriesWeRead on instagram. One of the best messages I’ve read so far came from Joanna Goddard of A Cup of Jo, after she read the book to her sons. She said, “I read the book to my boys last night and they loved it. They wanted to read it twice. And they had LOTS of questions on the page about people who are deaf, blind, need help breathing, etc. They wanted to slow down and talk about different disabilities. We talked about how my stepdad is hard of hearing, and about how my friend’s daughter needs extra oxygen. It was a beautiful moment. And they LOVED the character of Emma. Anton said he wanted to race with her, and this morning on the walk to school, there was a wheelchair sign (pointing toward a ramp) and he was like, “Hey a chair! Just like one Emma has!” It’s kind of fascinating to me that getting them much more comfortable with limb differences can be as easy and quick as READING ONE BOOK. That’s so incredible. Why would any parent NOT do that? Now if they see someone with limb differences, it will feel much more familiar and comfortable to them.”

YES to fostering great conversations with our kids!
YES to our kids seeing different bodies!
YES to our kids asking questions!
YES to our kids noticing disability in the world around them and having a positive connotation!
YES to “typical” seeing disabled kids as their peers!
YES! YES! YES!

Those conversations and that experience is what it is ALL about. Here are some other wonderful words of praise from people I admire and respect:

Rebekah Taussig of Sitting_Pretty says:
“When Charley Met Emma invites its young readers into an honest, disarming story about encountering difference. Unlike most stories told about disabilities, Amy Webb uses her first-hand experience as a mother of a special-needs daughter to subvert the traditional “us” and “them” narrative into a story about a boy and girl who are both ordinary and different. This book will play a rare and vital role as we teach our children to build more inclusive spaces where all of us are seen, valued, and celebrated for the difference we bring to it.”

Kelle Hampton of Enjoying the Small Things said:
“As a parent of a child with special needs, I know how important this book is for our community. But what excites me most about Charlie and Emma is that it will be read by the families who need it most—the ones who aren’t raising a child with special needs but are raising the children who will be the friends and neighbors and coworkers of people with disabilities. What we need right now is more awareness, empathy and true compassion; and this book has become a beautiful resource to help families talk about these important values when they matter most—early. This thought-provoking story combined with exquisite illustrations creates the kind of book I hope finds its way to as many classrooms, playrooms, nightstands.”

Gabrielle Blair of DesignMom said:
“When gathering parenting tools, there’s nothing I find more helpful than seeing a kind and healthy conversation modeled. When Charley Met Emma does just that in such a wonderful and beautiful way. If you and your child have ever encountered someone with a physical difference while out in the world, and not known quite what to say or do, consider this your easy-to-understand handbook. It’s a helpful, gentle reminder that yes, we’re all a little different, but at the end of the day, we’re also all alike.”

Today is definitely a PINCH ME kind of day! Yes it is a book that I hope takes on a wonderful life of its own by delighting and educating children near and far as well as creating a small ripple in the world on inclusion for the disabled and limb different communities, BUT it is also a personal success and I am going to revel in it! I’m so excited and beyond thankful to all of you who have followed me along this blogging/Instagram journey from the beginning. So many of you know Lamp from before she was even born and that sorta blows my mind. Your support has an immense yet immeasurable impact on this moment and again I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I think it’s about time for a giveaway for this here book, don’t you? A signed copy of course. Head over to my Instagram today for a chance to win a signed copy of When Charley Met Emma!