The Hero's Trail: A Guide for a Heroic Life » (Reprint)

T. A. Barron lives in Colorado.

William Low lives in New York.

What is a hero? Using the metaphor of a hiking trail, bestselling author T. A. Barron discusses the great variety of heroes and brings them to life through their own stories: Some are well known, like Wilma Rudolph, Anne Frank, and Stephen Hawking. Yet most are “ordinary kids” who have made amazing choices: saved their siblings from a fire, struggled to stop prejudice at their school, helped raise money to build a well in an African village. This book will be invaluable to kids, parents, and educators who need role models for young people to look up to—and a new way to look at what a hero is.

Publishers Weekly

A year after the tragedy of September 11, a second wave of titles arrives to inspire and comfort youngsters (see Children's Forecasts, July 29 for additional titles). The Hero's Trail: A Guide for a Heroic Life by T.A. Barron profiles people who exemplify heroic qualities, both well-known and less recognizable. Illustrating the importance of survival instincts in times of crisis, for example, the author mixes stories about Satchel Paige and Abraham Lincoln, Ruby Bridges and Anne Frank with the story of 10-year-old Joshua Dennis, who sang and prayed before being rescued from the mine where he was trapped for five days in 1989. Each chapter opens with a hiking story that illustrates a heroic quality and an inspirational quote; "More Quotations for the Trail" rounds out the volume.