Locals Publish Children’s Book About Ehlers-Danlos, Hits No. 1 on Amazon
Pey Carter and her daughter, Abigail, recently released ‘Bendy Bones and Stretchy Skin’
When it comes to advocating for disabilities – including those we can’t see – local author Per Carter and her 11-year-old daughter, Abigail, are committed to the cause. Their new children’s book, Bendy Bones and Stretchy Skin, follows Abigail’s journey with being diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) – which Pey also has – and how Abigail’s different accommodations were explained to her young friends.
After completing a Kickstarter for the project in July 2023, Pey and Abigail finally got their own physical copies of the book at the start of January. The book was released to the public Jan. 23 and within one day had already reached No. 1 in Amazon’s ebook categories for Children’s Nonfiction on Social Issues, Chronic Pain, and Children’s Disease Books. It was also a top new release in Children’s Nonfiction Health Books.
“It's great to know people are reading it,” Pey said. “But also I’ve noticed there's a really big gap and need for children’s books on various invisible disabilities. There’s quite a bit on autism and some of the more common (disabilities), but when you’re talking about things like chronic pain in children, there are two other books on EDS and that’s it.”
To celebrate the book’s release, Pey and Abigail held a book signing and reading on Feb. 11 at String Theory Studio in Chippewa Falls. They will hold another on March 9 at 11am at the Wisconsin Makers Market (106 E. Grand Ave., Eau Claire).
Abigail also had the honor of bringing her book to Roosevelt Elementary, which she had attended. Her former school couldn’t have been prouder, showing off a framed Leader-Telegram article about the project.
In the future, Pey hopes to continue on this path and write more books about different disabilities, such as Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), since she noticed how literary gaps can create a hole for people in the community, especially among children.
“It really just comes down to that representation,” Pey said. “Especially with required reading, we don’t have a lot of books that represent the complex spectrum of humanity, especially for children. How many books do we have that you know show or talk about unhoused children, children that don’t know where their next meal is, or any real true spectrum? So it’s so important to get books like this out there, and also just show kids you can be a best-selling author at the age of 11.”
You can purchase a copy of Bendy Bones and Stretchy Skin on Amazon and locally at Dotters Books.
