As part of my mammoth ‘kids have gone back to school’ clean-up, I spent yesterday afternoon sorting out our reading corner, which I was still in the process of doing when the children came home. Hugo, our 7-year-old, spotted this brilliant hardback on the floor while I was re-arranging our non-fiction shelves. He swiftly snatched it up and then spent most of the evening reading it, to the point where he was still at it by torchlight after lights out.
Published a couple of years ago and laid out in a similar format to that of the Rebel Girls books, these are inspiring, stereotype-busting stories for all readers regardless of age, and it’s great to see such a diverse range of individuals featured. As you might imagine from such a fascinating book, a number of the stories have struck a chord with H, and over the past 24 hours we’ve had conversations about why some people can’t access medical treatment (Lionel Messi), the concept of philanthropy (Bill Gates), the skill required to land a passenger jet on a river without any casualties (Chelsey Sullenberger) and the appalling historical treatment of gay men (Alan Turing). Call me old fashioned, but I love how just one book can spark such broad-ranging conversations ?. I’ve already been instructed to order the next in the series as Hugo has enjoyed this so much, and I plan to order the Kids Who Dare to be Different version at the same time.
