The past couple of years really haven’t been the greatest, especially with the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. With lockdowns, school and business closures and, of course, getting ill with Coronavirus very few people had very little to celebrate. But buried within all the doom and gloom there were some truly remarkable people like teachers and school support staff that stayed in school to teach children of key workers, the wonderful NHS staff who worked flat out, and staff with key worker status that kept the country going as best as possible. There were also a few people that will never be forgotten – who would have thought that a 23-year-old millionaire footballer would raise his head above the parapet championing a cause very close to his own heart? Marcus Rashford has taken the fight for childhood food poverty to the very top, raising lots of awareness and support along the way and not for his own ego or self-promotion, but purely to help children in need of a hot meal every day. A big congratulations must go to him. There were others that did things for charity, without recognition but just as important, but one man really stood out, the extremely remarkable 100 year old Captain Sir Tom Moore. Captain Tom captured the hearts and minds of the whole country, and the world, with his with his kind and selfless act that went above and beyond all his, and everybody else’s, expectations. It all started with one hundred steps.
One Hundred Steps, written by Captain Sir Tom Moore and illustrated by Adam Larkum, is the remarkable story of the nation’s hero and how he set out to raise £1000 for the National Health Service (NHS), and came to raise an eye-watering amount of nearly £40 million.
One Hundred Steps is an inspirational picture book for children that tells the remarkable life of an astoundingly true hero. It is a story of adventure, a story of helping people and certainly one of never giving up. It tells not only the true story of how one man wanted to walk 100 steps to completing 100 laps of his garden to raise money for the NHS and its charities, but also features key moments from Captain Tom’s extraordinary life. It gives a snippet into his life from a young boy growing up in Yorkshire, serving in the Second World War, racing motorbikes in time trials to his staggering Guinness World Record-breaking achievements, with plenty of funny moments in-between. And all in 32 pages.
Alongside the life and words of wisdom throughout the book are some beautiful illustrations, drawn by Adam Larkum, that really bring the story to life for its younger readers.
The book is littered with words of wisdom that Captain Tom has garnered over his extraordinary 100 year life; “that anyone can do or be anything they want”, “that we can achieve so much more when we come together”, and that “tomorrow will be a good day”. Messages of hope that children, in fact, we all need.
“THE FIRST STEP IS ALWAYS THE HARDEST, BUT UNLESS YOU TAKE THAT FIRST STEP, YOU’LL NEVER FINISH”
Captain Sir Tom Moore
One Hundred Steps is a fabulous funny, inspirational and wonderful story that pays tribute to the most truly remarkable person of 2020, a man that went above and beyond to help people that he had never met and took the world by storm. A story of hope and determination, one of what can be achieved with true grit, effort and determination, a kind heart and the support of your loving family.
In April 2020 Captain Tom took the first step on his multi-million pound fund raising journey. On 17th July 2020 he received a knighthood, and a well-deserved one at that.
Thank you, Captain Sir Tom! You are a true role model that every child can look up to and be inspired to emulate.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £12.99 (Hardback) / £7.99 (Paperback) / £5.99 (Kindle)
Available to buy from Amazon here.
The book was published in support of the Captain Tom Foundation. For more information, visit captaintom.org.
