David King: Adam has taught me so much - I want him to know he doesn't have to be perfect

David King says his latest children's book is the book he wished he had by his side when Adam was facing some of his toughest challenges 

David King and his son Toy Show star Adam King. Photo: Shaunagh O’Connell

The Late Late Toy Show has a reputation for making children into mini celebrities.

As a child, we all wanted to be on it — whether it was the nerdy bookworm who wanted to show off the best books for Christmas or the confident stage-school type who wanted to be up there singing the latest pop hit.

But generally, as Christmas and New Year are celebrated and then quickly forgotten about, we tend too, to forget about the children of the Toy Show.

That hasn’t been the case when it comes to one special little boy from East Cork, Adam King.

The eight-year-old from Killeagh with his little teddy Bubby and his winning smile, touched so many of our hearts when he appeared on the Toy Show back in November 2020.

Adam King photographed at home near Youghal, Co. Cork. Picture: John Allen/Lensmen 

At that time, many of us were facing into our first Christmas without so many of our loved ones around. His hand-drawn heart with “A Hug for you” scribbled in its core, which he presented to John Doyle, the porter who looks after him on his regular visits to Temple Street hospital, in lieu of a physical hug, simultaneously warmed and broke hearts across the nation.

Since then, wheelchair user Adam, who has a bone condition characterised by short stature and brittle bones, has gone on to star in its own animated TV show; had his “virtual hug” turned into cards, beamed onto the GPO and flown into space; and he picked up awards for his services to his native Cork (The Pride of Cork Award) and to his country (the Garda Youth Centenary Award). 

His dad David’s book, A Hug For You, became a number-one bestseller and last weekend, his virtual hug was memorialised as a sculpture on the Kilkenny Canal Walk.

“We’re so proud,” his father David says. “It’s unbelievable.”

“I said a few words [at the unveiling of the sculpture] and I kind of jokingly said that when I think of people getting their own statues, I think of Rocky, and how he won the hearts of America and he was a hero... that’s where Adam is now,” he says with a good-natured laugh.

“But the event itself was bittersweet, in a way. It was really tinged with sadness. 

"We’ve had a very tough weekend on this island, with 10 families up in Donegal who are waking up wishing they could just hold their loved ones one last time and we really felt that.

“It really brought into stark light just how much we should appreciate having our loved ones around us. 

"That is the big message of Adam’s hug. It’s to always make sure that you hug the ones you love.”

Facing frustrations

Almost two years on from his son’s appearance on the Toy Show, education officer David King is hoping to get another important message out to kids and their families in the form of his latest children’s book, Sir Adam The Brave and the Moody Monsters.

The new picture book from David and illustrator Rhiannon Archard stars Adam in the guise of a medieval knight who is on a quest to save the Wompie Wonder Fair from a trio of very moody monsters. 

But, this isn’t a story about a knight slaying the mighty dragon — it’s about a knight who helps save the day by figuring out why these monsters are so moody, and helping them overcome their issues with a sprinkling of kindness.

“I think one of the great qualities that Sir Adam the Brave has, is that there is no such thing as ‘can’t’. There’s always a way, and Adam always finds a way.”

The story is inspired by Adam, but it’s also for Adam, his father says.

“The perception people might have of Adam is that he’s this perfect smiling happy child, and he is that, he absolutely is, but he also has his own tough situations he has to deal with, like we all do. 

Publicly, people might not see some of the challenges he faces, and the frustration that exists as well. 

"Just being frustrated that he has this condition, and just not wanting to have it sometimes.

“But Adam is really good at facing those moments and facing them like a gentleman, facing them like a really brave person. 

"And to be honest with you, he actually teaches me a lot about how to manage my tough moments in life. I think people can learn a lot from Adam.

Sir Adam the Brave and the Moody Monsters

“One of the reasons I wanted to write the book is I think it’s really important for Adam to grow up knowing that it’s OK for him to feel like that and, I am saying this from a perspective of a parent of a child with a disability, that he doesn’t need to be perfect all of the time.”

Recently, the Kings thought Adam had broken his leg, David tells me, and it was one of those times when Adam’s happy-go-lucky positivity was dented.

“He got really upset by that. It wasn’t the physical pain that upset him. It was the thoughts of everything that was ahead of him. 

"The hospital, X-rays, surgery, being laid up, not being able to do his activities.

“He was just kind of down and I remember I sat him down, and I read him one of my favorite books, Dr. Seuss’s I Wish That I Had Duck Feet.

“At the end of it, the character in the book basically comes back to the realisation that, ‘You know, I could have all of these different things like duck feet or a lion’s tail, but really, I’m actually just happy being me’. 

"And there was a lovely moment [between us] where Adam said to me ‘You know, I’m actually happy just being me as well’.

“Stories are a great teacher,” David says. “Particularly amongst Irish people. We are storytellers. We learn through stories and we teach through stories. It’s a big part of our cultural identity.

“[Writing this book], I was thinking to myself, ‘If I was in the hospital with Adam, what’s the book that I’d like to have with me?’ My survival guide as a parent, my teaching guide, if I was facing into a period of time where my child was going through a difficult time.”

David King and son Adam with the 'A Hug for You' book

The book, David says, has many messages contained in its pages. Some are for Adam and his peers, some are for the parents.

“There’s a scaredy monster [in the book]. He isn’t actually scaring people, he was himself scared. And the reason why was he had a big thorn in his foot. So he’s taken back to the castle and the doctor helps him to remove the splinter from the foot.

“The way it’s done is actually the same approach that Adam takes before he goes for surgery. 

"We always say to him, ‘Just close your eyes and count to three, and when you finish counting to three, you’ll wake up and it’s over’. And he brings his teddy with him, Bubby, so in the book, the scaredy monster is holding Bubby and he counts to one, two, three and then... It’s over.

“Personally, that’s the type of thing I’d love to have if I was in a hospital with a child waiting for surgery. I’d love to have had something like that to read to them.

“There are some other things that, as a father of a child with a disability, I really wanted to have in the book.

“On one of the first pages where Adam is introduced to the story, in the picture, you can see all the adults standing above him, talking about him, saying ‘He doesn’t look like a knight, where’s his horse? He’s too small’. They’re doubting him.

“That was me saying: You should never talk about a child with disabilities like that, you should never talk about any child like that.

You should never doubt a child, never write them off.

Adam, of course, had a hand in writing his dad’s third children’s book (the first, also inspired by Adam, was self-published a year before the young boy appeared on the Toy Show), as did his brothers Danny and Robert and his sisters Katie and Sarah. 

But, these days, Adam is spending a lot more time in gymnasiums than he is doodling hearts according to his dad.

“He’s really kicking on as an athlete this year,” David says.

“He’s started playing wheelchair tennis and he’s doing para-athletics. He’s gone to three para-athletic events this year and he got medals at all of them.

“He’s showing a real flair for wheelchair racing. His last meet of the season he got two gold medals.”

Adam King and his brother take park in IRONKIDS for the inaugural event during the IRONMAN Ireland festival, Cork. Picture: Huw Fairclough

As such, representing his country at the Paralympics has somewhat replaced his dream of becoming a capsule communicator (Capcom) at Nasa, at least for now. 

He’s also looking forward to Christmas, though dad David admits he doesn’t know what’s in his letter to Santa yet this year.

“It won’t be short anyways,” he laughs.

“I haven’t given much thought to December yet, but when it rolls around if we can make it to Dublin we’d absolutely love to go [to The Toy Show The Musical]. 

"We’re looking forward to sitting down as a family on Toy Show night like we do every year, like we did before Adam was ever on the Toy Show, and just enjoying the signalling of the start of Christmas.”

As to whether there might be more children’s books in the pipe, the Dungarvan native said he “might” have more on the way.

“But I was given some very good advice at one point about when a book comes out. 

"The person advising me said it’s really important to just take a moment when you see your book on the shelf, and just sit back and relax and enjoy it. Not be rushing on to the next thing.

“So for me, that’s one thing I made it my business to do when A Hug for You came out, and I am absolutely making it my business when this book comes out.”

Asked what he’d like to say to the people reading this article over a cup of coffee today, David says: “I’d just like to say how much I appreciate the huge love and support that everybody has given to Adam, to my family, and to myself and in particular to ‘A Hug for You’.

“We’re so grateful that so many people enjoyed the story and enjoyed the message of that story, and I hope they enjoy the message of this story as well.”

• Sir Adam The Brave and the Moody Monsters is out now.