A Hero Like Me

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Books like A Hero Like Me are so important. Not only to help kids (and some adults) understand what's going on around them, but to give them hope that things can change.

I'm Canadian, and last year a group of Indigenous people, protesting the lack of government help to bring the bodies found of children killed in residential schools home to their families, pulled down a Queen Victoria statue. Although not the same historical figure, the message is the same. These figures have done harm to generations of people and the pain/sadness should not be felt every time they walk by them on the street.

We are not erasing history, we are showing that we have learned from it and making the world better for future generations.

(I apologize if I offended anyone by compare the hardships of two very different groups of humans.
My hope was not to draw attention away from then injustices happening to Black Americans, but to show that this is happening in our backyard too. This really is a wonderful teaching tool, with language kids will understand and remember. )

A Hero Like Me does a great job at explaining why we must remove statues and monuments to white supremacists and their ilk. Honestly, I feel like this is a book that needs to be given to many adults who are critical of the idea and practice -- and they should have to go through the questions for reflection at the end of the book.

The book is visually beautiful, and the story told through the point of view of a young Black girl is strikingly poignant. I loved everything about this book, from the poetic writing to the way it so thoroughly explains big topics in a way that is easily digestible for children.

I love this. Put this book everywhere.

The book is based on a real event in Bristol, England. Told from the perspective of a young girl, she reflects on statues and the people being called “heroes.” She has discussions and is included in a protest march. The statue of a man who “sold freedom for cotton and tea” is toppled, and a black woman from the protest stands on top of the plinth to take its place. It is a moment that sparked an artist to create the woman in statue form to later be placed where the old statue had stood.

The illustrations and language make it clear for young children to understand taking what once was of “men who didn’t know any better” and replacing them with those who stand for “kindness, courage, peace, and justice.”

The last pages summarize the real events and give a list of discussion questions. It is so important to think about statues: what do they represent, why are they placed where they are, and what makes a statue important. We should question statues, and many times young people do.

A Hero Like Me is an inspiring picture book that follows a young girl on her daily journey to school past the towering statue of a slave trader, who the world calls a hero, but she knows better. Through a series of remarkable events, this little girl learns about courage, resilience and justice as she discovers what it truly means to be a hero.

Beautifully written and gorgeously illustrated, this picture book is an important story of hope, activism and self-empowerment. It will leave readers with a renewed faith in humanity, a greater appreciation of those who take a stand, and the understanding that it takes more than just a hero to make a change.

A relatable story about the process of revisiting our nation's history and, in doing so, tearing down ages-old idols and "heroes."

Angela Joy and Jen Reid tell an accessible story about a complicated movement to reclaim truth and history and they put young, black women at the center -- where they belong. It walks children through the reasons behind the dismantling of broken systems from a young girl's perspective. The young girl sees memorials to flawed heroes and realizes the wrongs that need to be righted. It's not until she sees "A hero, not made of bronze, brick, or stone but of curly hair and courage, skin, strength, and bone" that she has hope for heroes.

I look forward to sharing this story with my child and having difficult conversations about what heroes really look like and how to someday be a hero who holds "Peace and Justice,
Courage and Kindness in their hands…"