50 Real Heroes for Boys: True Stories of Courage, Integrity, Kindness, Empathy, Compassion, and More!

by Christy Monson

50 Real Heroes for Boys  teaches young boys everywhere that being a man only requires being yourself―but your  best  self.  Children's Finalist in the 2020 Maxy Awards Bright, colorful portraits by over a dozen international artists accompany true stories of men who knew that character―things like integrity, kindness, empathy, courage, respect for women, and more―mixed with their own unique gifts―art, athletics, creativity, dance, music, curiosity, and more―could make the world a better place. Readers will find Jackie Robinson, who used courage to break barriers in sports; Jim Henson, who used humor to uplift the lives of millions; Dav Pilkey, who used perseverance to push through dyslexia and become one of the world's most successful children's book authors; and many more! The book also includes dozens of stories of women like Marie Curie, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Jane Goodall, because boys can have women heroes too! Written by marriage and family therapist Christy Monson, 50 Real Heroes for Boys reminds boys everywhere what true masculinity is all about.

Genres: Childrens, History, Biography, Picture Books, Nonfiction

112 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2019

About the author

Christy Monson has a B.S. degree in Child Development and Psychology from Utah State University, and an M.S. in Counseling Psychology and Marriage & Family Therapy from University of Nevada at Las Vegas. She established a successful counseling practice in Las Vegas, Nevada. She has been married 50 years and raised six children who are all college graduates. She loves to write and enjoys adding positive energy to the world.

Books
Love, Hugs, and Hope, When Scary Things Happen
Becoming Free, A Woman's Guide To Internal Strength
Family Talk: How to Organize Family Meetings to Solve Problems and Strengthen Family Relationships
Social Media
Her articles have been published on the web at Familius, Gospel Ideals, Paper and Parchment, and ANWA, Changing Behavior Digest, and Chic Galleria.
Her blog address is: http://christymonson.blogspot.com/
Her websites are: http://www.christymonson.com/index.html
Twitter: @Christy Monson
Pinterest: Christy Monson
Like her author page: http://www.facebook.com/christymonson...

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A diverse collection of men and women that highlights their seemingly simple early years, but go on to greatness. Nice to include Dav Pilkey (who wrote Captain Underpants) after diagnosed with ADD and more. Jackie Robinson. Helen Keller. Todd Beamer, the hero who said "Let's Roll" as they stormed the cockpit on flight 93 on 9/11.

The book layout is 1 huge illustration page, and 1 page of text. The text feels too short, but that is the idea of a kid's book. The illustrations felt a bit too cartoonish for my taste. Niels Bohr just looks like a fun guy (I've never seen a picture of Niels smiling in the many physics books I've read). Mother Theresa looks good, but Beethoven looks too amateurish. I remark about these illustrations since they take up 50% of the entire book.

Another book-layout feature is all the text is written on a light graph paper with 4 lines/cm. Why? It adds difficulty to the already very small text/font used.

There is a nice front-index of these heroes 'special powers': Compassion, Confidence, Courage, Creativity ... Patience, Perseverance, Sacrifice. Kids can find a trait and then go seek names. All the heroes are filed under multiple traits.

Text: 4.5; Illustrations: 3;
I only score a 4, since 50% of this book is the illustrations, and they just looked uniformly cartoonish - like trying to appeal to kindergartners. This is more of a 10-12 year old book per the writing.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

All my reviews can be found at: http://jessicasreadingroom.com
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This review will appear on my site on February 18, 2020.
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Though aimed for boys, this children’s picture book would be suitable for girls as well. The heroes mentioned include:

1. Men and women
2. Well known and not so well known figures
3. Main-stream and historical figures
4. National and international figures

Everyone would learn something from this book. Each figure has at least one ‘special power’ that is unique to them and their situation they went through to become a real hero. There is also a section for each hero that lets kids think about how they can be a hero and do what the mentioned person accomplished.

I received an audible copy from the narrator Johan Twiss to review. Please note when you buy an audible copy you will also be sent a PDF so you can listen to and also follow along reading! Together the audio version and book are a perfect combination! There is music that goes along with the narration and most of it had a Marvel/superhero feel to it. There was also music to go along with the mentioned figure’s time period or where they are from. This audiobook was pure entertainment, yet also educational for everyone!

This was a highly enjoyable children’s book that I would say is for everyone and all will learn something from in!

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

50 Real Heroes for Boys teaches young boys everywhere that being a man only requires being yourself--but your best self. Bright, colorful portraits by over a dozen international artists accompany true stories of men who knew that character--things like integrity, kindness, empathy, courage, respect for women, and more--mixed with their own unique gifts--art, athletics, creativity, dance, music, curiosity, and more--could make the world a better place. Readers will find Jackie Robinson, who used courage to break barriers in sports; Jim Henson, who used humor to uplift the lives of millions; Dav Pilkey, who used perseverance to push through dyslexia and become one of the word's most successful children's book authors; and many more! The book also includes dozens of stories of women like Marie Curie, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Jane Goodall, because boys can have women heroes too! Written by marriage and family therapist Christy Monson, 50 Real Heroes for Boys reminds boys everywhere what true masculinity is all about.

[Wayne Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Children, especially boys, need heroes to inspire them. Unfortunately, many (though not all) present-day individuals to whom kids might look for heroes, such as sports figures, movie stars, and musicians, may often leave something to be desired. 50 Real Heroes for Boys is designed to show young boys everywhere that being a man only requires being themselves- -but their best selves. Some of the heroes mentioned are men, like Jackie Robinson who used courage to break barriers in sports, and women like Marie Curie who helped to discover radioactivity; well known folks, such as Eleanor Roosevelt who was the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and not so well known figures, such as Caesar Rodney who voted for the Declaration of Independence; and historical people including Ludwig van Beethoven who composed some of the world’s greatest music while deaf, and modern personalities including Dav Pilkey who used perseverance to push through dyslexia and become one of the world’s most successful children’s book authors.

Both American and international persons are found. Even William Tyndale, who was put to death for translating the Bible into English, and William Wilberforce, who helped to rid the civilized world from the evils of slavery, are here. Each character is identified by the “special powers”–courage, creativity, curiosity, humor, forgiveness, integrity, justice, and more—which he or she used to make the world a better place. These true stories written by marriage and family therapist Christy Monson are accompanied by bright, colorful, full-page portraits from over a dozen international artists. The dozens of stories about women make the book suitable for girls as well as the whole family, but the emphasis is upon reminding boys everywhere what true masculinity is all about, because boys can have women heroes, too. Everyone can learn something from this book. Homeschool families can use each hero as a weekly project for the kids to research and learn more about these heroes.

[Victoria B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful oversized book. Designed nicely, with a consistent format. Each hero's "superpowers" are highlighted, along with a brief one-page story explaining what they did/how they are a hero. Very interesting, and included some new faces to the traditional "hero" fare.

Thoughts:
- I'm not sure why this book is "real heroes for boys" and not just "for kids." The book mentions men and women from different backgrounds and seems like it would be suitable for readers of either gender. Specifying just boys really limits the audience.
- Speaking of the heroes, I kind of wish there had been someone of Native American descent mentioned (i.e. Sacagawea, Maria Tallchief, Sitting Bull, Sequoyah, Jim Thorpe, Tecumseh, etc.).
- The only inconsistency I found is Chris Williams (someone I had never heard of before reading this book). His story is missing the birth year under his name (which is included in every other profile).
- Finally, what I wish was added to each profile: a country. It would've been nice to see at a glance where the person is from/what country they represent. Or just include a flag icon above the "special power" icons on the edge of the page.

ETA: The author says that the purpose is to teach boys masculinity through these positive "superhero" traits, but I still hold that this book should be for all kids, not just boys, since no where on the cover or within the pages does this book imply a masculinity slant.

[Ash.O · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book features the stories of fifty men and women that can be positive role models who inspire boys (and girls and other folks) of all ages. As the cover states, these are "true stories of courage, integrity, compassion, leadership, and more". It would be a good addition to a child's bookshelf.

[Beka Murcray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love the diversity of all these stories. There is a wide variety of different men from different backgrounds. You could read through the book from cover to cover or have your child pick and choose. Excellently written!

[Tuna Salad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book for my kids, and we love it. I am such a huge fan of how Christy puts together these stories in a way that is accessible for them. It is fascinating. And beautiful! We've had it as our coffee table book for months!

[Boom! · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this would be all male figures, so I was pleasantly surprised to learn it was a mix of identifying genders for a radical and awe-inspiring list of heroes.

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

So well done. The audio was so much fun for kids with all the music. The one-page biographies were perfect for my younger kids and still informational enough for my older ones.