I am extraordinary
In his sophomore picture book, NBA superstar Stephen Curry encourages kids to embrace the differences that make them extraordinary! It's the first day of school for Mila, a young girl with hearing loss who dreams of playing on her school's soccer team. But, self-conscious of her hearing aids, Mila is too nervous to try out. With the help of and perspectives from new friends, what begins as a bumpy, anxiety-filled start for Mila, soon transitions into an eye-opening experience about what it means to be different-and what it means to be extraordinary. I Am Extraordinary teaches kids how to look inside themselves to find self-acceptance and the confidence to achieve any goal.
Available Copies by Location
Location | |
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Community Centre | Checked out |
Victoria | Available |
Browse Related Items
Subject |
Disabilities > Juvenile fiction. Sports > Juvenile fiction. Deafness > Juvenile fiction. Friendship > Juvenile fiction. |
Genre |
Picture books. |
- ISBN: 9780593386064 (hardcover)
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Physical Description
print
1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 29 cm - Publisher 2024
Content descriptions
Target Audience Note: | Ages 4-7. |
Additional Information
Kirkus Review
I Am Extraordinary
Kirkus Reviews
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
In NBA superstar Curry's latest, a young Black girl worries that her hearing aids will prevent her from joining her new school's soccer team. Though Zoe's practiced all summer, she's nervous. What if she's not good enough? And if she puts her hair up to play, kids will see her hearing aids. Fearing the others won't accept her, Zoe removes her aids before a game. But playing without them proves difficult, and Zoe flees, lamenting that she'll "never just be ordinary." But fellow player Mila, who wears protective glasses, asks, "Who wants to be ordinaryâ¦when you can be EXTRAORDINARY!" Mila and her friends Marley and Brooklyn call Zoe's attention to other athletes, such as a baseball player who uses a wheelchair and a runner with a prosthetic leg: "Can ordinary people do that?" Marley explains that Zoe's dedication, and her hearing aids, make her extraordinary. Buoyed, Zoe--wearing her hearing aids--makes the team, and together they win the championship game. Author Curry appears on the last page and explains that kids must "find the courage and strength to overcome" challenges. Though it's refreshing that Zoe's disability isn't her defining quality, the use of the word inspirational--a term bearing patronizing connotations for many disabled people--to describe her story risks muddying this point. Still, occasionally heavy-handed speech-balloon dialogue notwithstanding, Zoe's teammates' accepting attitudes are reassuring, and Bowers' bright cartoon illustrations are engaging. Mila is pale-skinned, Brooklyn is brown-skinned, and Marley presents Asian. Earnest and encouraging. (Picture book. 6-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.