Our Prime Minister’s lifelong mission to help others was formulated in the playground when she noticed some of her schoolmates didn’t have shoes or lunch; she felt she had to do something about it.
Along the way, she didn’t let detractors stop her; she simply believed in herself and “just got on with it”.
This inspirational, non-partisan account of how Ardern worked her way to the top - not to mention the global admiration of her handling of the Christchurch mosque attacks - is pitch-perfect for young readers.
My eight-year-old thought it was “full of top quality facts” such as how the world’s tallest building - Dubai’s Burj Khalifa - was lit up with a photo of Ardern hugging a Somali-born woman; my six-year-old liked “that she travelled around the world and goes fishing”.
Hill’s text is accessible yet informative; Morris’ illustrations are bright and engaging. This is the sixth book in the pair’s award-winning series of biographies of Kiwi heroes. Wonder who’s next?
Reviewer: Stacey Anyan
Penguin Random House