Emmanuel's Dream
A teacher’s look at why this book belongs in the Read-to-Me, Read-by-Me stage.
Why it fits Read-to-Me, Read-by-Me (for the kindergarten-ready set, between being read to and reading alone)
Born with one strong leg, Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah cycled four hundred miles across Ghana. A true story of dignity that redefines what 'can't' means. Told plainly, which makes it hit harder.
What makes it special
Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah's four-hundred-mile ride reframes disability as the premise of the achievement, not its asterisk. Sean Qualls' collage-and-paint art gives the story lift without sanding off its difficulty. Told plainly and true, it recalibrates a child's sense of what 'hard' means.
From the publisher
The story of a West African youth who pursued an education, helped support his family, and became a record-setting cyclist in spite of a disability traces his ongoing achievements as an activist. Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah,…
About Laurie Ann Thompson
Laurie Ann Thompson was a software engineer before turning to nonfiction for young readers; Emmanuel's Dream, her account of Ghanaian cyclist Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, won the Schneider Family Book Award for its portrayal of disability.
Also by this author: Be a Changemaker · Two Truths and a Lie (series)
More from “True Stories, Big World”
This book is part of The Best Books for Beginning Readers: 30 Teacher Picks (Read-to-Me, Read-by-Me) in our guide The Best Children’s Books by Age — 120 books chosen by the Montessori-certified teachers at Creative Minds Montessori in Frisco, TX. Come see how we build readers →
Nobody paid for this review — not the author, not the publisher — and the store link above earns us nothing. Our only interest is the reader this book fits.