A Young Dreamer Overcomes a Challenge with the Help of His Imagination, Family, and Friend
By Nosakhere Griffin-EL, Ph.D.
Ty’s Travels is a must-read book by Kelly Starling Lyons. The book begins with the main character Ty getting a new scooter. To test out the new scooter, Ty and his family take a trip to the local park. This trip is the beginning of a joyful challenge that he’ll have to face head on.
Before Ty attempts to ride the scooter, he goes into his imagination and visualizes himself at a race. He sees himself as one of the racers competing, but with each attempt he falls. Each time he falls his mother, father, or brother are their to encourage him. With the mounting failures of scooter riding, Ty is ready to quit. Right when he’s about to quit, he sees a girl named Ari, who’s also riding a scooter.
After seeing Ty fall, she goes over to offer help to him. Ari teaches Ty a few simple steps in scooter riding. When Ty follows her simple steps, he to ride without falling. Riding without falling brings Ty back to the excitement he had in the beginning of the story. At the end of the story, Ari and Ty joyfully ride with each other.
Illustrations by Nina Mata capture the innocence and imagination of a young Black boy. The bright and vibrant colors will inspire young readers to dream out loud; if your young dreamer has a scooter, the pictures may even inspire him/her to ride their scooter. The illustrations also capture Black family in a positive and encouraging light.
The author teaches the reader 4 important lessons.
1. First, the power of a child’s imagination to inspire him/her to face difficult challenges,
2. Second, the author teaches the reader that failure is a part of life, and those who succeed are able to bounce back, seek help, and learn from their mistakes.
3. Third, she teaches the importance of familial encouragement in supporting children in overcoming their life barriers.
4. Lastly, she teaches the reader how peers can help and encourage each other to accomplish their goals.
In sum, I highly recommend this book! This is an amazing book that has the power to inspire children to use their imagination to power through difficult challenges! This is a great book for teachers to include in their English Language Arts classes.
Book info
Age range: 4–8 years old
Grade Level: Preschool to grade 3
Great read aloud of young kids!
Price: $4.99
Amazon Link: https://tinyurl.com/3gg5y2ys
