How to Be a Real-Life Hero

As a child, Dean Robbins fell in love with Mighty Mouse, Superman, and other extraordinary heroes. He dressed up in superhero costumes and vowed to save the world when he grew up. But Dean found that he couldn’t fly, bend steel bars, or use X-ray vision, no matter how hard he tried. Luckily, he soon discovered real-life heroes who could be his role models: people like Jonas Salk, the scientist who created a vaccine to prevent polio; Kitty O’Neil, a deaf girl who set a land-speed record in her rocket-powered car; and civil rights activists devoted to equality and justice. Dean became a children’s writer so he could tell their inspiring stories in books like Thank You, Dr. Salk!: The Scientist Who Beat Polio and Healed the World; The Fastest Girl on Earth!: Meet Kitty O’Neil, Daredevil Driver!; and Mambo Mucho Mambo!: The Dance That Crossed Color Lines. In this engaging presentation, packed with photos, videos, and silly jokes, he introduces these amazing figures and explains what makes them heroes. Most exciting of all, he reveals the secrets of how kids can grow up to be heroes themselves.

Register for the live virtual event through Zoom HERE! The event will be livestreamed to the Fox Cities Book Festival’s Facebook page and a recording will be available to watch after.