Stories for special children

Every parent knows their child is special, but there are many children who are special for reasons that it is hard to explain. Because they have to “visit the hospital and the doctor a lot” because they have cancer or asthma, because they are foster children or because they have disabilities. Children, as we know, are curious creatures, how to answer their many questions and help them accept their condition of difference?

Irish social entrepreneur Kate Gaynor founded Special Stories Publishing House in 2006 to try and help parents, families, professionals and teachers answer some of the questions of children who are facing particularly difficult challenges. For her success in encouraging children of all ages to be tolerant and to accept difference, Special Stories has recently been awarded the prestigious 2008 Shell Livewire All Ireland Young Entrepreneur of the Year title.

Third sector expertise

Each book in the Special Stories series includes a long list of people who have contributed to its creation, psychologists and doctors, but especially charities, social workers and carers. When asked where she gathers her inspiration, Gaynor doesn’t hesitate: “My mother worked as a social worker for over twenty years in foster care, adoption and child protection. So even from a young age I was always very conscious of the struggles of children at risk”. She also adds that she was aware that often sensitive issues, like bullying, healthy eating or death of a parent or sibling were tackled through dreary, unsuitable leaflets. Through her books she hopes to teach children that difficult challenges, physical or otherwise, should never prevent them from reaching their potential.

Gaynor, who is a professional children’s writer, writes all of the stories which are then illustrated by a range of young artists. The stories’ protagonists are always the children themselves, who start off by introducing themselves, but there are touching moments that even adults will find heartbreaking. Like the story that concerns fostering: beneath a picture of a smiling little boy with freckles is a text about Sally, coming to explain to him that, “sometimes our mums and dads are not able to take care of us as well as they would like to. She said that when this happens, a boy or girl can feel sad or afraid, which was strange because sometimes that’s just how I felt too.”

At the back of each book is a ‘Your Special Story Page’ where the child reader is invited to write down his/her story, ‘Notes for Grown-ups’ on the issues involved and a Special Stories website at www.specialstories.net