Seal Surfer

Michael Foreman is a prolific writer and illustrator. He often tackles big issues with a subtlety that avoids preachiness and makes children come to their own conclusions. This time he may have been too subtle.
Seal Surfer is about a disabled boy surfer who befriends a seal. The seal ultimately saves the boy from drowning.
The story is interesting and Foreman's watercolours really capture the coast and the movement of the water. But it is within these illustrations that we discover that the boy is disabled. Otherwise, there is no mention in the text. Perhaps, this is the true definition of inclusive. The boy is a surfer who happens to be disabled. Certainly the Special Educational Needs Book Award liked it.
    And perhaps it does not matter that my six year old didn't notice that he needed crutches to walk. Maybe it is simply for the wheelchair bound, to see herself included in a book that isn't about being wheelchair bound. In that case, I think it is great for Foreman to have written this book.