Little Tiger ISBN 9781788952514 £6.99
Probably the first time we became aware of the young American gymnast Simone Biles was her gold-medal winning performances at the 2016 Rio Olympics. But her story started well before then and is more complex than one might expect, as this chronicle of her life explains. Simone’s single mother had problems that meant she was unable to care for her family so Simone and her siblings were fostered and later she was adopted by her grandparents. It wasn’t until she was six and visiting a local gym that her innate talents were discovered – complex gymnastics moves seemed to come naturally to her. She missed out on some schooling in order to be trained to the highest level and was extremely dedicated to doing her very best, resulting in being the highest ever achieving female gymnast. The book tells also of difficult aspects of her life including a time of low self-belief when her performance levels fell and suffering, along with others, from sexual abuse from the US team coach. Hers is an inspiring story of determination and overcoming odds. Interspersed with Simone’s story are snippets of information about aspects of gymnastics and there is a glossary along with an index and some useful links. One small point – the quotes from various people are printed in white on grey which some could find difficult to read.
Pam Dowson