I think this book can serve as an inspiration to what happens when you do what you love, work hard to improve and reach for the stars . The book tells the true story of Nadia Comonecie (I must confess one of my childhood heroins) who made world history at the age of 14 and became the first Olympic gymnastic athlete to score a perfect 10 and win 5 gold medals .
As a girl Nadia loved moving, being mischievous and climbing on trees ("that's what they are there for" she told her grandmother), so her parents signed her up to gymnastic school where she could climb and swing from the bars in the gym like they were branches of the tree.
Nadia wasn't always a star, even though she worked really hard and trained allot, she failed to do her routine on her first competition and fell off the beam 3 times, but she kept on going, preserving and improving her unique gift .
What would have happened if Nadia quit after she failed? If she had stopped doing what she loved just because things didn't work out that first competition.
(I would note that if you have a child who has a natural tendency to be a perfectionist , stresses allot and always "needs to get 100" on their test to feel good about themselves, I will think twice before reading this specific book because it is about gymnastics, the theme of getting a perfect score is evident in the book. I would also suggest to put the emphasis on Nadia overcoming her failure and being masterful at what she loved doing best and not on getting the perfect score.)
In the inspiring video below you see Nadia's emphasis is about the confidence her training gave her due to years of training .
Hear from Nadia herself
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