Matt Formston: Surfing in the Dark

Surfing in the Dark is a picture book about Matt Formston, a blind world champion surfer. Its point of difference – and one I love – is that Philip Bunting’s bright and familiar illustrations are dotted with Braille, allowing the reader to either read along if they’re blind or low vision themselves, or to understand how blind people read, if they are not, following the bumps on the page. I’m a big fan of anything that means disabled kids will have one less thing to explain to non-disabled kids, and I am thrilled Surfing in the Dark has been published and illustrated by such a well-known illustrator.

Matt Formston’s story about not giving up, even when his progress is affected by setbacks, is a universal one, and I can’t think of a kid (or adult!) who wouldn’t benefit from reading Surfing in the Dark when things seem a little hard. Great for ages 3+