Meet Clara Hughes

Time for a new Scholastic Canada Biography by Elizabeth MacLeod and Mike Deas. This time we Meet Clara Hughes, a personal favourite of mine.

Through the book, Elizabeth MacLeod not only highlights the athletic accomplishments of this record breaking athlete but she also focuses on her mental health journey which is a huge part of Clara’s story.

In Meet Clara Hughes, readers have the opportunity to learn a little bit about Clara’s childhood, growing up in a home where her parents were always fighting and what led her to her athletic pursuits. Did you know that she was a speed skater before she was a cyclist? Most people know about her first Olympic medals in cycling and then her medals in speed skating. These details are what make these biographies so incredible, readers get a better understanding of the whole person and not just their accomplishments.

There is a huge focus on mental health in this book which is something that Clara Hughes has been very open about and advocated for her entire career. Readers have the opportunity to learn what makes Clara feel better. There’s an incredible message that flows through the book, when Clara does things for her own reasons, not because others want her to, she feels better. A perfect message for any young person, whether they are an athlete or not.

Mike Deas’ illustrations are sprinkled all through the book, using comic style, readers get a little taste of the graphic genre as well as learning all about Clara. I love his illustrations of Clara in nature as well as the tone he sets when the illustrations focus on Clara’s mental health journey. 

Meet Clara Hughes is a special story about an incredible person and will inspire readers to do the things that make them happy.