Dream Big

January 1, 2018

K-Gr 3-McGillivray pens an autobiographical picture book on his life and legacy as a race director for the Boston Marathon. He and coauthor Feehrer focus first on McGillivray's athletic ability and small stature, which deterred him from other sports except for running. McGillivray's persistence and strong relationship with his supportive and loving grandfather result in a goal to tackle the Boston Marathon at age 17. Readers will be drawn to McGillivray's honest perspective, but their attention will be held by the description of running marathons, the drama of counting down the last few miles along with the text. The significance of strong family relationships and the reality of achieving personal goals make this title ideal for character education or a unit about families. The illustrations are colorful and support the story well. VERDICT A delightful true tale about dreaming big, and the effort and commitment required to make those dreams come true. An additional purchase.-Casey O'Leary, Mooresville Public Library, IN

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 15, 2018
There are many ways to meet a challenge, and they all don't have to come from inside.Two of the great fruits of McGillivray's story are that it applies to so many people and it is true. True stories let us know that our dreams really can come true. Dave is a small white kid, and the games for big bruisers are just out of his league. But then he catches the running bug. Dave has dreams of standing tall on the podium, but his first marathon, at 17, is a bust (he'd only been training for a year and hadn't touched 26.2 miles). Dave is crestfallen, but his grandpa counsels, "You didn't fail. You discovered something...you discovered that big dreams don't just cometrue. They take work, hard work." Well, Grandpa isn't there to see it, but Dave does train hard, and although he breaks down on his second try, he also gets up with the memory of hard work and completes the marathon. In a wonderful turnaround, today Dave is race director of the Boston Marathon. "And guess what? I always come in last." It's a consciously inspiring story, straightforwardly told with the help of Feeher. The mostly-white cast of Himler's rather washed-out watercolor illustrations says a lot about how the sport has grown both more international and more diverse.A salutary, mission-driven tribute to hard work and persistence. (map) (Picture book/memoir. 4-8)

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February 19, 2018
McGillivray, the director of the Boston Marathon, tells his story of overcoming obstacles to complete the marathon for the first time. As a small child, McGillivray found strength and confidence through running. At 17, he entered the marathon without adequately training. Though he collapsed during the race, he accepted a challenge from his grandfather (“my favorite person in the whole world”) to try again: “If you train and work hard, I promise to wait for you next year and cheer you on.” His grandfather’s untimely death served as greater motivation to complete the race. Himler works in spare, pencil-and-wash paintings that bring a quality of intimacy to the page. McGillivray’s sentiments about his grandfather are tender, but in some ways narrow the focus of the story; readers are more likely to grasp the more universal message about setting realistic goals and taking a measured approach to achieving them. Ages 7–12.