A new book by a local author aims to inspire physically challenged children.

"My new book, 'The Boy Without A Foot' is designed to provide encouragement to a young child, with a physical disability, who is starting kindergarten," said writer and artist Joan Aspinall.

Ms Aspinall has written and illustrated a number of other children's books including 'The Banana Leaf Faerie Elf' and 'Shoo Cat Shoo', among others.

She described 'The Boy Without a Foot' as a "beautifully illustrated modern-day, footloose and fancy-free, fairy tale".

The new book is about a little boy growing up in the French countryside who was born without a foot.

Despite the fact that he is able to run, hop and play football with the aide of a leg brace, he still longs for a real foot.

So one day the boy, accompanied by Kitty Kat, sets out on a magical quest to find a real foot.

"When desire is strong, and one's heart tells them what to do, then they must follow the whisperings of their heart," said Ms Aspinall. "This is a tale of yearning, a tale of determination that grants a final and glorious reward to the seeker."

Although the book won't be officially released until next week at Harbour Night in Hamilton, it is already garnering positive feedback locally, and abroad.

"In July, a pre-publication sample at the Craft Market in Dockyard caught the eye of the grandmother of a physically handicapped boy," said Ms Aspinall. "She was vacationing in Bermuda. Consequently, she ordered a copy over my new website."

The woman wrote to Ms Aspinall saying: "I want to help him (my grandson) to understand that his lack of fingers on the right hand IS DIFFERENT from the other children but that he is REALLY the same and he can and will do ALL that he has to do — just in a different way. I believe the book will help."

Ms. Aspinall said that she was thrilled that this book may fill a niche to help children with physical disabilities.

She hopes to give a percentage of retail sales to the Committee of 25 For Handicapped Children, a local charity.

"Originally, the text was written as a fairy tale, whimsical, entertaining, with talking animals in a magical setting outside of Bermuda, with little concentration it would be a healer," she said. "I created the story line to escape from the Bermuda syndrome and to be able to offer something other than island theme stories to the international publishing market."

Ms. Aspinall said she wrote the story years ago but did not submit it because she had wanted to do her own illustrations.

"With ten titles already on the market, my ease of completing a title with artwork has increased," she said, "but it still took one year of off-and-on, part-time illustrating to complete."

For more information check out Ms Aspinall's website at www.pina.bm.