How It All Began

Forty years ago Terry Fox started his Marathon of Hope. He was determined to run across Canada to bring awareness and a much needed research fund to help the children he saw in the oncology ward when he was there. His legacy lives on today and this year we celebrated the 40th anniversary of his incredible feat tragically cut short. The Terry Fox Run looked a little different this year but we were there continuing what he started.

Perfectly timed for an August 4th release, Mary Beth Leatherdale brings us Terry Fox and Me illustrated by Milan Pavlović. Terry Fox and Me is a story told from the perspective of Doug Alward, Terry’s friend and companion during the Marathon of Hope. Terry Fox has, rightly so, been idolized in Canadian history so it is refreshing to read a book from the perspective of his friend to remind us that Terry was just an ordinary kid who was goal driven who turned a frightening diagnosis into a way to give back. Terry Fox and Me is an accessible story for young readers just learning about Terry Fox for the first time. A lot of questions come up, especially among our youngest learners when they learn about Terry, so it is refreshing to have a non-fiction story to accompany the fact based information they receive.

The gorgeous two page spreads by Milan Pavlović breathes beauty and life into the story. Carrying us through the first time Doug and Terry meet right to the start of their journey together. He captures the joys in multicolour and the sadness in a muted colour palette. Readers will be captivated.

I appreciate the decision to end the story at the start of the Marathon of Hope and continue the learning with notes from both Darrell Fox and Doug Alward along with photos from the family, Doug’s training tips for Terry and a timeline of the Marathon of Hope at the end. I would love to see this book in school classrooms and libraries would encourage teachers and librarians to share it with students not just in September but throughout the year.