Cerrie Burnell debut from Scholastic

Actress and CBeebies presenter Cerrie Burnell will publish a debut picture book, Snowflakes, next week.

Burnell, who was born with a right arm that ends just below the elbow, is one of the few visibly disabled presenters on television. She featured in the Guardian's 2011 list of 100 most inspirational women, receiving praise for tackling disability head on.

Snowflakes (5th September, £6.99, paperback), illustrated by Laura Ellen Anderson, tells of a mixed-race girl, Mia, who comes to live with her grandmother in a snowy country very different from her old home. However, watching the snow fall one night, she realises she is like a snowflake, each of which is unique and perfect in its own way.

Burnell said the book was dedicated to her own daughter Mia, who is of dual heritage, "because as a parent I want to see books that reflect my family". She added: "However it is not for her. It is for everyone. For every child or indeed adult who has ever felt different. And hopefully the message is clear, ‘every snowflake is different, every snowflake is perfect’ and in many ways so are we.”
 
Burnell will be touring her one-woman show "The Magic Playroom" this autumn.