Terry Fox

Terry Fox is the second Canadian figure to be featured in the very popular nonfiction picture series “Little People, Big Dreams”, with Lucy Maud Montgomery being the first. Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara shares outstanding people’s stories with young readers and inspires them to follow their dreams. Similar to her other biographies, Vegara describes Terry Fox’s upbringing, his passion, his struggles, and his perseverance. Young children identify with Terry and his love for sports, and some may relate to the challenges he faced, but, throughout adversity, children are encouraged to keep dreaming.

Just as Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara presents diversified, worldwide exemplars in her series, she also works with a variety of illustrators from around the world. T. Connor, being one of the 70 illustrators, uses vibrant colours on every page and creates big and familiar settings using both pages for young readers to relate to. Connor’s distinct illustration of Terry Fox resembles him and stands out in every scene. However, the other characters bear too similar facial expressions, which prevents readers from building a stronger emotional bond to Terry as his life goes on.

In the format of a picture book, Vegara uses few sentences to tell Terry Fox’s story. She provides a very brief timeline at the back of the book which is a repeat of the book with a slightly more details, such as the type of cancer Terry was diagnosed with. This short biography is meant to be an introduction to a younger audience, one which highlights Terry Fox’s fight and his contribution to world. For older children who want to learn more, additional titles are provided for further reading about Terry Fox.