Our Story
Avery is a very special and spunky little girl who, like thousands of other kids, happens to be living with something called CP (Cerebral Palsy). Initially, that diagnosis was really scary and overwhelming to hear. We knew nothing about CP at the time and it was uncharted territory for us. Since then, with the help of a ton of great professionals and lots of support, it’s now just part of who we are as a family. CP looks different for everyone, and the challenges can be really severe or fairly mild, case by case. For Avery, it basically means the right side of her body, mostly her leg and foot, don’t work quite as well as the rest of her. She’s very active, very smart, hilarious, cute and an absolute ray of sunshine - she just needs a little extra help with some things sometimes.
One of those things that helps her everyday is a brace she wears on her foot and ankle called an AFO (Ankle Foot Orthosis). From day one in our family, it’s simply been called “Avery’s special shoe”. Avery is at an age now where some questions are starting to pop up, like, “Why do I have to wear this?” And “Will it be like this forever?” Some of that stuff can be tough for parents to navigate, and they’re definitely hard on the heart, but thankfully her attitude and toughness are leading us through it.
One thing we noticed while trying to help Avery learn and process these things was the amount of stories and books and toys out there to help kids learn all sorts of important stuff about feelings, and growing, and the world around them and so on. There just didn’t seem to be a lot of them where she could see herself in the story.
“Avery and the Special Shoe” is a story book about a little girl who discovers a peculiar looking shoe on her shelf, and decides to try it out. She discovers all the amazing things she can do while wearing this curious shoe - hopping up and down the stairs, riding her bike, climbing a tree and so on. After an exciting day full of all these activities, she runs to tell her mom about all the special things this shoe can do. Her mom reminds her that the shoe is not the special one, it’s just a helper. The real special one in the story, is her.
“Avery and the Special Shoe” is a great story for families dealing with similar realities in their own life and home. Not only that, it’s a wonderful way for other kids (friends, family members) to learn a bit about what makes other people unique, and opens up opportunities for discussion and learning too. We hope your family loves this book as much as we’ve enjoyed creating it.
Jeff Somers (Author)
Jeff Somers is an ECMA and Covenant Award nominated musician from Moncton, New Brunswick (Canada). Jeff leads the music team at Lewisville Baptist Church, and is husband to Andrea and dad to Rowan and Avery. This is his first children’s book.
Meaghan Smith (Illustrator)
Meaghan Smith is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, and visual artist. Meaghan’s music has garnered her both a Juno award and an ECMA. A talented visual artist, home for Meaghan is Halifax, Nova Scotia alongside her HusBand and their two little munchkins.
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