Lisa loves Sundays! These are the days of Surf Club and time spent on the waves at the beach on her surf ski. She loves catching waves to ride
into the beach because it feels like flying.
A competition is coming up, and when her coach sees her successful ride in, he suggests it to her. At first Lisa thinks the Ōhope Surf Carnival is too big a deal to enter, but her mum and dad are encouraging too.
Lisa begins to train – with her coach, weights, paddling and talking to the best in the club, wahine toa Māia. Māia explains the best thing to do when training for something is to “…show up.”
But when Lisa gets a fright in the waves, she’s not keen to get back out in the water. With patience and her parent’s kind advice, Lisa ventures back into training.
Soon the day of the Carnival arrives. Is Lisa ready?
By NZ’s most successful Olympian – Dame Lisa Carrington DNZM. But Dame Lisa had to work hard to get her title and Olympic Medals. This picture book takes the reader back to where it all began.
At only eight years old, Lisa was already pretty good on her surf ski in the waves at the beach. A nudge by her surf club coach and encouragement from her parents and older brothers to enter a paddling competition kicked things off. New Zealand knows where that led her.
This is a full colour picture book, and each spread features Lisa in action and Colin the family dog. Can you spot him?
The illustrations portray Lisa’s training journey, her loss of confidence and how she finds it again. Scott Pearson’s clean, precise style is full of movement, emotion and things to look at.
Finishing with a personal note from Lisa Carrington herself, this is sure to be a hit for any young reader with a goal in mind.
Author – Lisa Carrington
Illustrator – Scott Pearson
Picture Book for all ages
(2024, Huia Publishers, Surf Club, Paddling, Olympian, Olympic Champion, NZ, New Zealand, Aotearoa, Beach, Waves, Surf Ski, Competition, Surf Carnival, Confidence knock, Training, Perseverance, Hard Work, Goal, Ōhope, Encouragement, Coach, Parents, Big Brothers, Sport)