An eight-year-old boy from Nuneaton has helped create a children's colouring book inspired by a poem he wrote about inclusion, disability and feeling different.
Joey and his mum, Sarah Smitham, are behind Different on the Outside, Same on the Inside, a colouring and activity book with a message Sarah sums up plainly: “Different doesn’t mean less.”
For Sarah, it is a chance to turn some difficult years into something positive, with Joey's own words at the heart of a book she hopes will help other children feel understood and included.
A poem became the starting point
The idea grew from Joey's poem about inclusion and what it means to feel different. Sarah and Joey developed that starting point into a book exploring kindness, disability, communication, emotions, confidence and belonging.
Its title puts the central message plainly: differences on the outside do not change the need to be accepted, valued and treated with kindness.
The colourful cover describes it as “A colouring book about kindness, differences & being YOU” and credits Joey as its writer. It features a rainbow and a group of children, including a wheelchair user, alongside the words kindness, inclusion, friendship and bravery.
Sarah says the aim is to create something that could help other children feel included. The project draws on her family's experiences, but the message she wants to share reaches beyond their own story.
“Something very positive”
For the Nuneaton mum, the book also marks a positive chapter for her family. She says she is sharing their story to offer encouragement, rather than to seek sympathy.
“So for me, the book represents something very positive coming from some extremely difficult years,” Sarah said.
The result is a project that places Joey's creativity and the message of his poem at its centre. Sarah's hope is that children who feel different will see that difference does not make them less worthy of friendship or belonging.
Her description of what she and Joey have created is simple: “Different doesn’t mean less.”
A special moment for Joey
Joey will celebrate his ninth birthday on 20 October. Ahead of that milestone, Sarah says he would be excited to see the book featured in his local community.
“I would be delighted to speak with you further, and Joey would be very excited to see his book featured locally,” she said.
What began with a poem is now a mother-and-son project about kindness and inclusion. For Sarah, its value lies in the possibility that Joey's words could help another child feel seen.