Last-Place Lin (Wai Chim, illus Freda Chiu, A&U Children’s)

Last-Place Lin is Wai Chim’s first picture book. Known for her young adult novels (The Surprising Power of a Good Dumping, Freedom Swimmer), Chim was inspired by her experience on the reality TV show Survivor, where she did her best but finished last in a running competition up and down a steep hill in 42°C heat. In Last-Place Lin, it’s sports day at school, and Lin is excited, but her enthusiasm wavers as she comes last in several events, earning her the nickname Last-Place Lin. When it comes to the compulsory fun run, Lin wants to escape, thinking she will let down her team. Finding her own rhythm, Lin is proud of herself when she finishes the race. This picture book about perseverance and resilience will prompt conversations about anxieties around sports days—or anything that a child might feel they’re bad at—other people’s expectations of us and how much we can achieve with peer support. Freda Chiu’s illustrations capture the brightness of school sports day, an array of facial expressions, and the diversity of children and adults in the school. Chim’s text is pleasingly simple and reassuring for readers aged four-and-up, and includes the occasional stretch word (heave, gaze, footfalls).

Books+Publishing reviewer: Clare Millar is a writer, editor and children's bookseller. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Category: Reviews