By My Brother's Side
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- £4.99
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
Based on the childhood of National Football League superstars Ronde and Tiki Barber, this inspiring picture book about the values of family, hard work, and determination shows what it takes to be a champion.
Tiki and Ronde were each other’s best friends. Together from the start, these twins might not have been the strongest or the tallest, but they were fast and worked hard at what they loved. And they loved sports, especially football.
Then one day Tiki hurt his knee badly in a biking accident, and he was sure he’d never be able to play again. Their mother had always told them, “You are each other’s best friends. Stick together, believe in yourselves, and you can do anything.” They kept her words in their hearts and never gave up.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Professional football stars and twin brothers Tiki and Ronde Barber score with this gentle, inspiring look at defining moments of their childhood, and the early seeds of their athletic careers. Born "smaller than most babies," the Barbers might have faced a difficult time playing sports. But the boys benefited from a secret weapon they didn't even know they had an ever-supportive mother who encouraged them to work hard and always be there for each other ("Believe in yourself and others will too," she says). When young Tiki suffers a serious leg injury in a bicycle crash, he's devastated. Ronde never flags in keeping his twin's spirits up, however, and before long the two are tossing a baseball, then a football around like nothing had ever happened. Then, on the eve of their Pee Wee League football season, the boys vow to make it to the top, together, "playing in a big stadium... in front of a great big crowd," Super Bowl big. Sports fans know that their dream came true. The Barbers, with help from Robert Burleigh, give a warm focus to the family foundation they believe is instrumental to their successes and their lives. Without sounding trite, they appealingly deliver the messages of perseverance and sibling solidarity. Root's sunny watercolors, often accented with lush, green trees, capture action on and off the field, conveying the energy of the Barbers' on-the-go childhood and upbeat attitude. Ages 6-10.
