Jamie Foster and daughter Isla, who has cerebral palsy, have written picture books on disability and difference, and aim to raise £1,000 for Scope.
A father and daughter from Stanmore in Winchester have written a series of children’s picture books about disability and difference. They are using the books to raise money for the disability equality charity Scope.
Jamie Foster and his daughter Isla, 12, began writing together after Isla was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of nine. The family says the books are available now on Amazon.
“Isla and I started writing books for fun and to help her understand her condition,” Jamie said. “But we started to realise there were not any other children’s books out there that framed the specific day to day problems that she and many other children encounter.”
The five books
Jamie listed five titles in the series:
- Daddy I Can’t
- But What If…
- Why Do They Always Stare?
- I Bet They Are Laughing
- But I Was Listening
Each cover carries the same line: “Because some days are harder than others.”
The stories follow three children. Annie is a young girl whose world overlaps with disability and difference at every turn. Priya is trying to understand why the world looks at her sister, Nina, in a different way. Danny’s world is overloaded with stimuli. Each book stands on its own.
Where Daddy I Can’t came from
Isla’s favourite is the first book, Daddy I Can’t. Jamie explained that it grew out of a family joke:
“This has come from a long running joke where each time we try a new thing, Isla gets anxious and sometimes even upset and will say ‘Daddy I can’t’ over and over again. But it always finishes with me saying, ‘but Isla, you did’, and we would laugh.”
“One day after this happened when rollerskating, Isla suggested it would make a good book, and the series was born.”
Why the pictures are AI, for now
Jamie and Isla drew the first pictures themselves, for Daddy I Can’t. It did not work out.
“We were unable to create any consistency, so we have used AI tools for the pictures,” Jamie said. “We have discussed with Scope that we hope to find someone in their network of disabled people that would like to assist us with the illustrations, but we have not found that person yet.”
The £1,000 target for Scope
The fundraising starts this week. Jamie said nothing had been raised yet because the books had not been advertised, and the family planned to start posting on its @daughterdaddybooks Instagram account on 16 September.
The target is £1,000. Jamie said profit margins are very low because the books are self-published through Amazon, so the family has set up the giving this way:
- a portion of the profit from every sale goes to Scope
- for every review a book receives on Amazon, 100% of the profit from a sale goes to Scope
- every book has a QR code linking to the family’s JustGiving page
Chantelle Ojo, Head of Supporter Led Fundraising at Scope, said: “We are extremely proud that Jamie and Isla have chosen to fundraise in support of Scope.”
“We want to end disability inequality and support greater opportunities for disabled people. There are just too many barriers in society for the one in four of us that are disabled. Life still costs more for disabled people and it’s much harder to get into, and progress in work. Scope is here to create an equal future with disabled people.”
What comes next
More books are already being written. Jamie said the family hopes to include people who speak about their own disability, and gave Chris Packham and Fury from Gladiators as examples of the kind of names it has in mind.
The family has also thought about a library launch. Scope has helped them put together a presentation they can take into schools once the series is up and running.
What it means for you
- To buy the books: they are listed on Amazon. Leaving a review also sends money to Scope, under the family’s scheme.
- To donate: use the daughterdaddybooks JustGiving page.
- To follow the series: Daughter Daddy Books is @daughterdaddybooks on Instagram and Facebook.
- To fundraise for Scope yourself: email fundraise@scope.org.uk.
- Illustrators: the family is still hoping to find a disabled illustrator through Scope’s network. For information, the family’s contact is daughterdaddybooks@hotmail.com.
We will report the library launch and the fundraising total when the family sends them.
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