My son Zippy came home from school with a low grade in gymnastics. Why? They had a timed mile run, and he didn't make the target time. He was discouraged, because he knows his asthma slows him down (not to mention his preference for playing video games over playing outside!) and he doesn't want to be the last kid to finish.
About that time, I happened to see JiYu Kim's new book, Zippy the Runner. What a perfect way to inspire him! Unfortunately, my Zippy wasn't too impressed with the book. Granted, he's 13, so he thinks he's above such children's books! But I was impressed. JeongHyeon Seon's illustrations are cute and the story is sweet. I like the fact that Zippy the zebra is always last, yet because he loves to run, he still competes and is willing to help other runners.
As a back-of-the-pack runner myself, I think it's important to acknowledge that even with lots of hard work and dedication, you might still lose every race. But that doesn't have to get in the way of your love of running and racing. My Zippy is doing better on his timed runs. I just hope he'll come to love running as much as Zippy the zebra does, last place or not.
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