Cover Image: Terry Fox

Terry Fox

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Member Reviews

Once again, the Little People Big dreams series introduces us to a remarkable human. I did not know who Terry Fox was, and neither did anyone I asked. When you read his story, you just want to tell everyone about him, and his achievements.

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Terry Fox by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara explores the life of the Great Canadian runner. I appreciate that the author handled certain parts of Terry Fox's life with gentleness and compassion. That's been the case with many of the people who've been covered in this series.

Fox was a runner who lost a leg to cancer. Later, he worked to raise money for cancer research, even going so far to run the 'Marathon of Hope' which lasted over one hundred days.

The end of the book contains a more detailed look at Fox's life, using language suited for much older readers. Inspirational and educational both, this entire series is great! I read this with my cubs. We love this series! Highly recommended!

***Many thanks to the Netgalley & Quarto Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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A lot of the 'Little People Big Dreams' books can sort of blend into one for me, but this one really stood out. It depicts the life of Terry Fox, a Canadian athlete who tragically passed away aged just 22. Despite losing his right leg to cancer, Terry dedicated the last months of his life to a cross country run which still takes place annually in Canada today. I found Terry's story really inspiring, and found it opened some good conversations about cancer and death with my little brother who I was reading this book with. I often find I enjoy the books in this series most when I have no prior knowledge of the person it's depicting, and this title was no different. It's probably one of my new favourites and I'd definitely recommend it!

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Terry Fox is one of our Canadian icons and I have read a variety of books about this hero, so I was delighted to see that Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara had chosen him as the subject of one of her Little People, Big Dreams books. Terry Fox wanted to be a sports guy in school, but was small, so had to work really hard to achieve his dream. Becoming a basketball star and long distance runner for his school were things he worked hard for and then his world fell apart. He was diagnosed with cancer and had to have his leg amputated, but he knew he still wanted to do something. After reading a book about Dick Traum, a man who had a leg amputated after a freak accident and started the Achilles Track Club for disabled athletes, he worked hard to be able to run again. He began his Marathon of Hope, a quest to run across Canada. Not making it before being called back home to the hospital and passing away, Canadians and others from other countries, still have their own, Terry Fox runs every September. This child friendly biography is very well done. The story was very on point and stressed all the things he did to achieve his goal. The illustrations by T. Connor added much to the book. As always the timeline at the back of the book gave added information to encourage further reading as well as giving a couple of sources to read. I definitely recommend this book to libraries (public, school, classrooms, family) to encourage reading, research, as well as following and acting on their dreams.

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I've never heard of Terry Fox before. But the series is so encouraging that I would like to read who this person is. And as usual, am amazed by the determination Terry Fox had, and his courage to run for charity, although he is not that well himself. His motivation impress a lot of people and making them continue his good work. And this is an example to follow.

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I love everything about the Little People Big Dreams book collection. They are perfect for the classroom and at home and I want them all.
For me Terry Fox was the perfect addition to the collection. Why? Because I’d never heard of him before I read his story and what a story it is. Full of hope and determination. Terry Fox was a selfless inspiration to us all.

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A great little read as an introduction to an important figure in Canadian history. This book will do well as reference material for young readers.

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I hasn’t heard of Terry Fox before reading this book with my son. What an inspiration he was!

Now usually I say these books are perfect for little ones. This one may need a warning for sensitive little ones. It does discuss cancer and amputation. It’s an inspirational story but some littles might not handle it well.

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Review of Terry Fox by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara.
This picture book, part of the Little People, Big Dreams collection, educates children about the life of the amazing Terry Fox.
The book is written very simply so that children would understand how Terry’s life and goals show dedication, positivity, great ambition, and consistency.
I am rating the book 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it to all children aged 3-5. The Little People, Big Dreams collection gives a great opportunity for parents to educate their children on the lives of amazing people from all around the world, and Terry Fox by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara is a great start.

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Terry fox's story is so inspiring and keeping his memories alive with this picture book for children to learn how to overcome the hurdles in life, is so motivating.
This story reminded me of Major Devendra Pal Singh from Indian Army who is first blade runner for India, first amputee marathon runner.

Such books must be promoted to let children know that life is beautiful and never-ending to feel disappointed. One should always be highly motivated.

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A brief but engaging overview of the life of Terry Fox, who continues to inspire and raise money for cancer today across Canada and the World through his Marathon of Hope. Perfect introduction for students in early and middle years classrooms and opens the door for many discussions.

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My kids love the Little People, Big Dreams series, and this was a beautiful title. Terry Fox was a young Canadian runner who raised a lot of awareness for cancer research, the same disease that ultimately ended his life at just 22.

The book does a great job explaining cancer in the simplest terms and it honors Terry Fox's legacy in a beautiful way. Heads up - parents should be prepared to answer questions about cancer and early death when reading this with young kids.

Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy for us to review. We loved it!

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This series makes me very happy!

I didn't know who Terry Fox was and his story is a little bit sad but I am lad Maria Isabel Sanchez Vergara decided to include him in the Little People Big Dreams series!

I wish the world had more people like Terry Fox!

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'Terry Fox' by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara with illustrations by T. Connor is volume 86 in the Little People, BIG DREAMS series.

Terry Fox was born in Canada and loved to play basketball. When he lost his leg to cancer, he decided to run across Canada to raise money and awareness for those with cancer. He never finished that run, but Canadians honor his memory every September.

Terry Fox has an inspiring story and this is a good tribute to him. I liked the bright artwork, especially the cover!

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What an inspirational story of Terry Fox by Little People, Big Dreams. An easy read with gorgeous illustrations to support the story. A great biography for young readers.

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I've read plenty of books from 'The Little People, Big Dreams' series but Terry's story is the first one to make me cry. He lost his leg due to cancer at the age I'm right now but instead of letting it hold him back, he pushed through, ran marathons and touched hearts of people all over the world. I can't even begin to imagine that. What a wonderful, inspiring young man!


I may have heard of Terry before but this is the first time I got to read about his life in details. The fact that he managed to accomplish so much in so little time. What could he have done if he lived longer! His resilience and passion are awe-inspiring.

The narration beautifully summarised his short but impactful life in an easy-to-read but also captivating way. The illustrations are well done as expected. Every kid should have a copy of this book. Highly recommended ❤️✨

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Thanks to NetGalley and Lincoln Children’s Books (Quarto Publishing Group), I had the opportunity to read some of these cute little books in advance in exchange for an honest opinion.

The ‘My First Little People, Big Dreams’ series provides informative and inspirational biographies about people who left a mark on this earth, no matter what difficulties they have encountered.
These stories are very short, but that’s because they’re books for children, so it’s totally understandable.
I think they are a very smart and wonderful way to introduce little children to such important figures.
This one here is the story of Terry Fox, the legendary Canadian who ran the Marathon of Hope. His story is really one that warms hearts and inspires you to chase your dreams no matter what. Not only Terry kept following his passion and dream, but he found a way to do so while helping others by raising money and awareness for cancer research.

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I didn’t realise this series was about until a friend from university recommended me the ‘Little People, Big Dreams’ series. After seeing a book about Terry Fox, I knew I had to give it a go.

I love the illustrations throughout the book, I feel they show the empowerment, resilience and determination of the story as it is being told. This is key from the start of the book, as we see Terry when he was chosen last for basketball and turned the experience into a positive one, by continuing to keep playing his favourite sport and becoming one of the most valuable member on the team.

This positive attitude is developed and shown further when Terry tried cross-country running when he was unsure about whether he would like it and ended up as the best distance runner. When studying to be a P.E. teacher, Terry sadly got cancer. This positive mindset that had developed as a child, pushed him to make the most of the situation, which was evidenced when his leg was amputated and he went back to running with the motivation of Dick Traum, who also had an amputated leg but continued with sports.

In 1980, Terry began running the Marathon of Hope, and I’m not going to lie, when I read those pages of how he kept going no matter the weather and that others waited so that they could run with him, I did get really emotional! To be diagnosed with cancer, and lose part of your leg but to continue going on and raising money to support others is 1000% inspiring!

I also particularly like the timeline at the end of the book which gives some photos and highlights as to what happened at his death and afterwards.

I would highly recommend this book to children and adults.

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#NonfictionNovember and we are having an empowerment day- today we are sharing the Little People Big Dreams Terry Fox story, by @mariaisabelsanchezvegara and @quartobooksuk @franceslincolnpub .

This beautiful story tells us about a strong wee boy, who loves sport and being part of a team. He practices hard and becomes the absolute best he can be at everything he tries. He soon develops a love of running, and then gets some devastating news.

Instead of using this news to break himself, he uses his strength to do something beautiful and courageous. This event carries on long after he has left this world, keeping his memory alive.

The book is written well, and really shares a fantastically strong and brave story for kids to be empowered by. The illustrations show the young readers the beauty of Terry’s journey and just how important how fight is.

This book is both inspiring and full of honesty. It tells and unforgettable tale, that inspires young people to keep their spirit, in even the hardest of days. The author has once again shared a truly heroic story and done so in a classic, timeless and beautiful way.

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Thank you netgalley for this ARC. I am leaving an 100% honest review.

I think almost every Canadian above grade one have heard of Terry Fox. Not all of them understand the story, but he is a household name.

This book is a wonderful tool to educate children who Terry Fox was and why he is so important. Even more wonderful is that the book humanizes him. It shows he was once a child just like them.
This is a great tool to teach another generation about Terry Fox

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