'Child Welfare Culture Award Recommended Work' Selection! Children's Non-Fiction 'What If I Lost My Leg Tomorrow' Depicts the Lives of Five People Who Lost Their Legs

Gakken Inc. (Shinagawa, Tokyo / President: Tatsuya Nanjo), a group company of Gakken Holdings Co., Ltd. (Shinagawa, Tokyo / President: Hiroaki Miyahara), is pleased to announce that its children's book 'What If I Lost My Leg Tomorrow' (Author: Izumi Funasaki) has been selected as a 'Recommended Work for the Child Welfare Culture Award (Publication Category)' for the 2026 fiscal year, sponsored by the Children and Families Agency and others. The book was honored at the '2026 Child Welfare Culture Award Ceremony' held on Monday, May 18, 2026. ・Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/405205721X ・Rakuten Books: https://books.rakuten.co.jp/rb/17911848/ ● About the 'Child Welfare Culture Award' The 'Child Welfare Culture Award'* selects and awards the 'Child Welfare Culture Award' and 'Recommended Works for the Child Welfare Culture Award' from among child welfare cultural properties recommended by the Council for Children and Families, in three categories: 'Publications,' 'Performing Arts,' and 'Video/Media.' It also honors activities that have contributed to the healthy development of children in a 'Special Category.' 'What If I Lost My Leg Tomorrow' is a non-fiction work born from interviews with five people who lost their legs for various reasons and live with wheelchairs or prosthetic legs. This book was selected as a 'Recommended Work for the Child Welfare Culture Award (Publication Category)' for the 2026 fiscal year. *Sponsors (Co-sponsors): Children and Families Agency, Child Welfare Foundation, Child Development Association ▲ Author's speech at the '2026 Child Welfare Culture Award Ceremony' ● Author Izumi Funasaki's Award Comment ▼ Award Comment I am deeply honored that 'What If I Lost My Leg Tomorrow' has been selected as a Recommended Work for the Child Welfare Culture Award. This book is based on interviews with people who have lost their legs and live using prosthetics or wheelchairs, exploring their loss, struggles, and journey to recovery. Through the interviews, I strongly felt that the relationship between the helper and the helped is not one-way, but that everyone lives by supporting each other. This book is also a work born from the mutual support between the people who cooperated with the interviews and myself as the writer. I feel that a truly wonderful work has been created thanks to everyone who carefully shared their experiences and thoughts. Once again, I am deeply grateful for this precious opportunity. I will continue to strive to create works that resonate with children's hearts and bring hope for the future. ▼ Author Profile Izumi Funasaki Novelist, screenwriter. Winner of the 1st 'Hon ni Shitai Taisho' (Award for a Book You Want to Make) for 'To the Girl Who Might Not Really Exist.' Her major works include 'Prosthetic Leg Track Club,' 'What If I Lost My Leg Tomorrow' (both by Gakken), the 'VTuber Detective Team' series (Asahi Shimbun Publications), 'Dogs and War: Sasha Left Behind in a Town of Rubble' (KADOKAWA), and 'The Inaudible Sound of Wings' (Shogakukan). She also writes scripts for films, stage plays, anime, and radio dramas. ● Overview of 'What If I Lost My Leg Tomorrow' Losing your own leg. It is something that can happen to anyone due to illness or accident. This book is a non-fiction work based on interviews with five people of different ages and genders. It depicts how these five individuals, who live with wheelchairs, above-knee prostheses, below-knee prostheses, and hip disarticulation prostheses, accept their reality and go about their daily lives. Created for 4th to 6th graders, the book is structured to be easy for children to read. It also includes color-illustrated explanation pages to help visualize the types and features of prosthetic legs. By learning about the thoughts and daily lives of people who have lost their legs, this book serves as a catalyst for feeling closer to people with disabilities. 'When I had the amputation, I was worried I wouldn't be able to play sports like before. But I could run. I was able to do something I thought I might not be able to do. That gave me confidence. Then my spirit grew stronger, and I didn't have to force myself to be strong anymore. My feelings gradually became gentler too.' (From Chapter 4, 'But, I Could Run.') 'I thought that if I got a prosthetic leg, my range of places to go would narrow. I thought that if I used a wheelchair, I would become someone who is always cared for. I realized that such preconceptions disappeared as I got to 'know' people who had lost their legs through interviews.' (From the 'Afterword') ● Five people of different ages, genders, and jobs who lost their legs. What are their thoughts? This book introduces the lives of five people who lost their legs for various reasons, such as illness and accidents. - 'I want to be able to run faster.' Minami, who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in her second year of junior high and had her leg amputated. - 'Your prosthetic leg is your asset.' Yuzuki, who had his right leg amputated above the knee at 9 months old and has used an above-knee prosthesis since he was young. - 'I want to give lectures to share my story.' Saki, who lost both legs in an accident at the age of 16. - 'But, I could run.' Kei, who had his left leg amputated below the knee due to an injury at the age of 29. - 'My range of work has actually expanded.' Ms. Sugawa, who had her left leg amputated at the thigh at age 31 due to a disease that developed at age 20. What emerges from the words of these five people is not just the anxiety and conflict after losing a leg, but also their journey of finding their own way of life while living with prosthetics and wheelchairs. It is recommended as an entry point for children to think about disabilities and as a starting point for discussions with people around them. [Table of Contents] Various Prosthetic Legs - Color Illustration Guide Introduction Chapter 1: The Dream I Can No Longer Fulfill 'With a Prosthetic Leg' (Minami Teshigawara) Chapter 2: Dreaming of Becoming a Paralympian (Yuzuki Fukuda) Chapter 3: I'm Still the Same, Even Without Legs (Saki) Chapter 4: But, I Could Run. (Kei) Chapter 5: The Illustrator with a Prosthetic Leg (Makiko Sugawa) Afterword [Product Information] 'What If I Lost My Leg Tomorrow' Author: Izumi Funasaki Price: 1,430 yen (tax included) Release Date: February 3, 2025 Format: 128x188mm / 192 pages E-book: Available ISBN: 978-4-05-205721-2 Publisher: Gakken Inc. Gakken Publishing Site: https://hon.gakken.jp/book/1020572100 [Purchase Here] ・Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/405205721X ・Rakuten Books: https://books.rakuten.co.jp/rb/17911848/ ・Kindle: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0DVBRD2DX/ ・Rakuten Kobo: https://books.rakuten.co.jp/rk/502a835e32cf36a9bca49f0491aafb0a/ ■ Gakken Inc. https://www.corp-gakken.co.jp/ ・President: Tatsuya Nanjo ・Date of Establishment: January 13, 2009 (Company name changed on October 1, 2022) ・Capital: 50 million yen ・Address: 2-11-8 Nishi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141-8416 ・Business: Publishing and content, global business, medical and nursing publishing content, business for kindergartens and schools, classroom-related business, e-commerce and online business, advertising. ■ GAKKEN HOLDINGS CO., LTD. https://www.gakken.co.jp/ ・President: Hiroaki Miyahara ・Date of Establishment: March 31, 1947 ・Capital: 19,817 million yen ・Sales: 199.1 billion yen, 82 consolidated subsidiaries (as of September 2025) 　Listed on the Prime Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (Securities Code: 9470) ・Address: 2-11-8 Nishi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141-8510 ・Phone: 03-6431-1001 (Main) ・Business: A holding company founded in 1946, operating in education and medical/welfare-related businesses. 　Education Sector: Classroom and cram school business including 'Gakken Classroom,' publishing and content business for educational materials, and school/kindergarten business for textbooks and childcare supplies. 　Medical/Welfare Sector: Serviced housing for the elderly, group homes for dementia patients, and childcare support businesses such as nursery schools and after-school clubs. 　Global: Activities and business development in over 150 countries.