Aussie Big Achiever Series of Books - Blog

The Aussie Big Achiever series containing three books written by Richard Simpkin, illustrated by Debra O’Halloran and published by Boolarong Press give readers a highly engaging insight into the lives of three iconic Australians, Ash Barty, Cathy Freeman and Steve Irwin, who all had and achieved big dreams. These books begin with a dedication that says, “this book is dedicated to You, because You can achieve any dream You have!” So begins the premise for these three books, the idea of everyday Australians, having a childhood dream, working hard to achieve their goals and overcoming obstacles that inevitably arise when working towards a goal, all while persisting, never giving up and believing in themselves to realise their dreams.

These books take children right back to the start of each of these famous Australians lives, exploring their early influences and detailing their journey to making their dreams a reality while inspiring many others along the way.

These books contain accessible text and are visually driven with lively, detailed colour illustrations that illuminate the double page spreads and bring the text to life.

The beauty of these stories is that they have the power to pique children’s interest about these iconic Australians. They may also stir young people’s curiosity to ask questions and conduct further investigation into the lives of these inspiring characters. It is important for our children to learn about others who have achieved great things as it is empowering for them to see the resilience, dedication, commitment and belief in oneself to never give up and never stop believing. Dreams do come true and these books may just set some of our young people on a path to achieving their dreams.

Literature Response Questions in PDF format can be accessed below (a 10 page document containing 4 activities)

Aussie Big Achiever series – Literature Response Questions Download