This is Me: CBeebies star George Webster's first picture book that's full of joy and fun, with bestselling illustrator Tim Budgen!

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There is some disagreement in the house about whether George’s singing is a strength or a weakness. “They say my singing is really bad,” he says. A hugely uplifting and full-of-heart picture book by CBeebies sensation George Webster and bestselling illustrator Tim Budgen! The book is about explaining and celebrating uniqueness, being proud of who we are. “A lot of people are scared, they don’t need to be, I want them to understand,” says George. And it’s about the importance of inclusion and representation. From 1st July 2021, VAT will be applicable to those EU countries where VAT is applied to books - this additional charge will be collected by Fed Ex (or the Royal Mail) at the time of delivery. Shipments to the USA & Canada: I don’t want this to sound too gooey, but there’s a lovely vibe in the Webster household. George is very grateful, too, and generous about his parents, even when I offer an opportunity for a moan. “No, they’ve been more than good – they’ve been amazing.”

Has he ever played that card? “I have done!” George laughs. “In one lesson, I wasn’t writing and the teacher asked why and I said people with Down’s syndrome find it hard to write.” George’s writing is fine. Though CBeebies has long been a trailblazer when it comes to disability representation – in 2009, Cerrie Burnell, who was born with only one hand, made her presenting debut – there are still not enough disabled people on TV, said Webster. He did a video for BBC Bitesize called Busting Myths, about Down’s syndrome. “It went viral on social media.” CBeebies got in touch and asked if he’d be interested in presenting. “So I went to Salford and did an interview with one of the presenters called Rebecca – she’s lovely. It was a really fun day.” When they called to say he got the job, “I was actually screaming down the phone.” Now he’s a regular presenter. We all have our individual likes and dislikes, enjoy different activities and have the ability to shine in our own ways. We each have a unique set of ingredients that make us – well, us. People with Down’s are not always happy, he said: “People with Down’s syndrome have emotions and feelings like every other person.” Nor do they “suffer” from the condition, he explained. “I have an amazing life. It’s been very positive. I loved going to school. I went to two local amazing schools. I had support at both schools, which helped me in my education. I got GCSEs and an A-level equivalent in BTec sport, level 3.”This is me. I am George. My eyes are sparkly, just like my mum. Like my dad, I’m determined and brave, and like my sister, I’m full of FUN! We are sitting round the kitchen table in the family house in the village of Rawdon on the edge of Leeds. George’s dad, Rob, is hovering, in and out. Rachel, a publicist from the publisher, is here too: we’ve got the first copy of the book, hot off the press, and George is talking me through it. It’s a children’s picture book: an autobiography called This Is Me. So, this is George, at home with his parents and sister Lauren. “I have an extra ingredient, a sparkling of magic inside,” he reads. “Some people, they say that I’m special, but that’s not what I think … You see, we’re made of different ingredients that help us shine like a star. My glow is what makes me who I am, and yours will make you who you are.”

George went to mainstream school: “Loved it, it was really fun.” But it wasn’t always easy. Jane says they had to fight against preconceptions, and to get the right support. “I decided not to be shy. I had to be quite tough – it didn’t come naturally. Having a kid with special needs at school: it’s all the admin and the meetings that’s exhausting – not the child.” With bright an engaging illustrations alongside a genuine and heartfelt story, This is Me is the perfect picture book for any child. So, get ready to read all about George, a little boy with the biggest heart! I ask him an ignorant question: whether he would like to have children. “I would, but people with Down’s syndrome find it hard to have kids,” he says. I should have known about Down’s syndrome and fertility, but his answer is factual and honest, not just unoffended but demonstrating the sensitivity I didn’t, as if it’s designed to cause me the least embarrassment. Still, I can’t help feeling bad and sad about it.

Tim Budgen is the outstanding illustrator of bestselling books such as Twenty Dinosaurs at Bedtime, Twenty Unicorns at Bedtime and The Magic Pet Shop series. Tim’s illustrations are bright, engaging and perfect for children! CBeebies, you have made a mum of a little boy just like George so excited. You are the best,” tweeted Karen Taylor. One father posted a picture of himself and his daughter, who has Down’s, saying: “Go George!!! We are so excited to see you.” In George's case, one of the many ingredients that make up his unique recipe is that he happens to have Down Syndrome. Here he invites us to have fun exploring the world, working out what makes us 'glow' and giving everything a go.

When I was a kid, there was no one on TV, in films, even in books, with Down’s syndrome,” George says. “At that time, they thought people like me shouldn’t go to mainstream school.” Bydd llawer o blant yn adnabod seren y llyfr fel George Webster cyflwynydd CBeebies, wedi'i drawsnewid yn gymeriad llyfr lluniau gan y darlunydd Tim Budgen. Wedi'i ysbrydoli gan gerdd, ac yn ymuno i gydweithio â'r awdures Claire Taylor, mae'r llyfr hwn yn rhannu doethineb George a'i awch am fywyd mewn dathliad o amrywiaeth, cyfeillgarwch a bod yn chi'ch hun. A message from the next generation, via Rachel, the publicist: her four-year-old son has Down’s syndrome. “Ethan knows George from the television. It’s absolutely amazing for him to have a role model like that.” Yn achos George, un o'r cynhwysion niferus sy'n cyfrannu at ei rysáit unigryw ef ydy ei fod yn digwydd bod â Syndrom Down.

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Ouch! And I’m suddenly having quite a lot of sympathy for his mum, in the bath after a long run. Now he’s the villain. George Webster: inspiration, ambassador, actor, pioneer, role model, myth-buster, Bafta winner, best presenter, top dancer, top bloke, all-round legend … and a song murderer. Still, like he says: “Everyone has their own talents, uniqueness, strengths and weaknesses.”