Legends of… (series)
Legends of… (series)
9781761181276
9781761181269
9781761181351
9781761181344
Kit Cross
Leigh Hedstrom
Albert Street, 2024
128pp., pbk., RRP $A12.99
At so many post-race/post-game interviews at the Paris Olympics, competitors have expressed the hope they have inspired the kids who are watching at home, so that when their turn in the spotlight is done, there is someone who can step in their shoes, wear their mantle and perhaps their medal.
And when these big events are dominating the screens, teacher librarians know they are going to get so many requests for books about the heroes in the headlines, so that the need and demand for books like this new series (Simmons and Kerr are out now, Ricciardo and Fowler follow in late October) is constant. Written in an easy-to-read format that means even the youngest independent reader can manage them, and dream just as their heroes did. Sam Kerr watched Cathy Freeman win her legendary gold medal in the 400 metres, sparking a dream in the young 6-year-old, just as Kerr, herself, does today.
A peek inside…
While a star’s time in the spotlight may seem brief, it is the years of build-up and practice from that moment of inspiration that often go unseen, and so we can never underestimate the power of putting one person’s story in the hands of a little one so they can begin to understand that not only did their hero start life as an ordinary kid just like them and they, too, can reach the stars.
At the other end, older readers might like to create a list of questions that they would like to ask their own hero, or use the graphic format of the series as the inspiration to create their own poster or presentation about their own particular hero, from whatever field that might be. Good books have great potential and this is a series to look for.
