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Fearless Heart: An Illustrated Biography of Surya Bonaly
A vibrant picture book biography of Surya Bonaly, the figure skating champion who backflipped her way into history
As a young girl in France, Surya Bonaly was constantly in motion, gifted in any sport she tried. But it was figure skating that had her heart. Surya knew she belonged on the ice.
Her colorful costumes, exuberant routines, powerful jumps, and daring combinations were all expressions of her love for skating and her ambition to push the boundaries of what a figure skating champion could look like.
Some people weren't sure Surya belonged on top of the podium. "Is she graceful enough?" they asked. "Does she look like a skater?"
But Surya's fearless heart propelled her to always stay true to herself while pursuing her boldest dreams.
Culminating in her iconic backflip performed at the 1998 Olympics, Fearless Heart is a lushly illustrated, lyrical story of self-expression and courage.
As a young girl in France, Surya Bonaly was constantly in motion, gifted in any sport she tried. But it was figure skating that had her heart. Surya knew she belonged on the ice.
Her colorful costumes, exuberant routines, powerful jumps, and daring combinations were all expressions of her love for skating and her ambition to push the boundaries of what a figure skating champion could look like.
Some people weren't sure Surya belonged on top of the podium. "Is she graceful enough?" they asked. "Does she look like a skater?"
But Surya's fearless heart propelled her to always stay true to herself while pursuing her boldest dreams.
Culminating in her iconic backflip performed at the 1998 Olympics, Fearless Heart is a lushly illustrated, lyrical story of self-expression and courage.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 25, 2022
1 person is currently reading
1589 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
July 25, 2022
Beautifully illustrated picture book about Surya Bonaly and her skating story.
Whether you agree with the judges' placements of Surya, she gives her POV as well as a message about not giving up and finding other ways to triumph.
Whether you agree with the judges' placements of Surya, she gives her POV as well as a message about not giving up and finding other ways to triumph.
January 13, 2022
Beautifully written and inspiring book!
November 11, 2021
***Received an ARC from the Publisher. All opinions are my own.***
This is a vibrant and beautiful picture book biography about one of the greatest figure skaters of all time, Surya Bonaly. I have been a fan of Surya since her early days and remember vividly when she was denied the gold medal at the Olympics. I remember seeing her grip that silver medal, tears streaming down her face and I cried along with her. She'd been robbed of the gold and she would not allow them to keep her from glory. When she did the backflip at the next performance, I whooped and hollered for her and remember thinking it was not only a gold-medal performance, it was a performance that would live for all time.
In her PB biography, we get to see those moments vividly portrayed in images that, like Surya, are bigger than life! This is a great book for anyone who's ever been told they don't fit the mold of the sport they play or has ever felt discouraged by society to pursue the greatness they know they have within.
This is a vibrant and beautiful picture book biography about one of the greatest figure skaters of all time, Surya Bonaly. I have been a fan of Surya since her early days and remember vividly when she was denied the gold medal at the Olympics. I remember seeing her grip that silver medal, tears streaming down her face and I cried along with her. She'd been robbed of the gold and she would not allow them to keep her from glory. When she did the backflip at the next performance, I whooped and hollered for her and remember thinking it was not only a gold-medal performance, it was a performance that would live for all time.
In her PB biography, we get to see those moments vividly portrayed in images that, like Surya, are bigger than life! This is a great book for anyone who's ever been told they don't fit the mold of the sport they play or has ever felt discouraged by society to pursue the greatness they know they have within.
February 4, 2022
Excitement is an understatement when I saw that this book was a new release. Taking me back to my childhood, I was in awe of Surya Bonaly and all that she accomplished. Her beautiful costumes, her fierceness, she was and is a perfect role model for young girls.
Remembering back to 1998, I was watching the Olympics with my Dad when Surya accomplished her iconic backflip. Screaming “WHOA” with a huge laugh signaling how amazing her routine was. I’m thankful my Dad took the time to explain to me how remarkable that event was, and I am thankful now that I get to share this book with my children. Bonding with my 8 year old and reliving the excitement through this book is a true treasure.
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February 2, 2022
Beautiful true story about a figure skater who has amazing talent but tries to show and prove her talent a dominant white crowd. She is know for her one foot flip in the Winter Olympics of 1998.
February 21, 2022
Love her, grew up wanting to jump like her.
January 29, 2022
I won a free copy of this title via a Goodreads giveaway. Many thanks to the publisher!
I was a kid and big fan of ice skating in the 90s, so I remember almost all the events in this book. I also remember thinking she was horribly overlooked in the whole circus that was the ‘94 Olympics.
At any rate, this is a lovely book with gorgeous illustrations and a wonderful lesson about always shining your light, no matter who might try to darken it. Great for kiddos of all ages who like figure skating.
I was a kid and big fan of ice skating in the 90s, so I remember almost all the events in this book. I also remember thinking she was horribly overlooked in the whole circus that was the ‘94 Olympics.
At any rate, this is a lovely book with gorgeous illustrations and a wonderful lesson about always shining your light, no matter who might try to darken it. Great for kiddos of all ages who like figure skating.
February 20, 2022
What an incredible story!
Want to read
November 5, 2021Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
June 24, 2022
This is a GREAT book, and I cannot recommend it enough! I actually remember Surya Bonaly, and some of the messaging that was going on there, and unfortunately her story is still very much relevant today.
The kids were engrossed and we had some wonderful conversations!
The kids were engrossed and we had some wonderful conversations!
March 25, 2022
Surya was such a force in figure skating. Each year during competitions, I wondered "where is she now?' This book alludes to what she does now.
I really like this book for young people especially for young people who are not the main group in this athletic field. This book is a form of activism but I think all books provide insights into activism (ok maybe not every book but most books).
"Fearless Heart" is an accurate title for a book about Surya. She performed amazing feats and even when she stumbled, her performances were outstanding. Yes, I have personal feelings regarding her placements in competitions but we all have opinions. One thing is certain, Surya Bonaly was a Force in Figure Skating!!
I really like this book for young people especially for young people who are not the main group in this athletic field. This book is a form of activism but I think all books provide insights into activism (ok maybe not every book but most books).
"Fearless Heart" is an accurate title for a book about Surya. She performed amazing feats and even when she stumbled, her performances were outstanding. Yes, I have personal feelings regarding her placements in competitions but we all have opinions. One thing is certain, Surya Bonaly was a Force in Figure Skating!!
May 8, 2022
Beautifully illustrated picture book bio!! The poetry works great with the illustrations and fits the amazing spirit and energy of Surya
August 1, 2023
“Fearless Heart” is a biography about a famous ice skater named Surya Bonaly, written by Frank Murphy. It was written for children ages 4-8 years old. It is about an ice skater named Surya who had a love for ice skating and expressed herself creativity and differently in the ice rink. It’s about her trying her hardest and failing often, but never giving up. I gave this book a 4 star because it is very inspiring and teaches children that if you truly love or want something, to keep trying and never give up. The illustrations throughout the book were bright, detailed and went along great with the text. And the way the wording was written, was just exciting to read. I didn’t give this book a five star because I felt that there was a little too much text on each page for a 4 year old to keep interest. I think that maybe 5 or 6 year olds would be a good age to remain focused and not get bored with lengthier texts. It wasn’t too much but I just think a 4 year old may get uninterested quick. When working with children, I would use this book during a lesson about creativity, originality, and never giving up no matter the struggle.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2022
A lot of kids’ books seem to have the theme “you can do it!” As the main character goes through whatever obstacles the story presents, you can see them getting stronger and better at whatever they’re trying to do, until finally they achieve it, and it’s so inspiring. This book had that general structure, but somehow I didn’t find it inspiring. It didn’t make me feel like I could do my stuff too. I found that disappointing.
Also, the way the ending is presented, they make it sound like she won the gold, but my understanding is she did not. She already knew there was no way should could win, so she went ahead and did the flip as kind of a final one-finger salute to the Olympic judges. If that’s the case, I think this book is misleading.
Also, the way the ending is presented, they make it sound like she won the gold, but my understanding is she did not. She already knew there was no way should could win, so she went ahead and did the flip as kind of a final one-finger salute to the Olympic judges. If that’s the case, I think this book is misleading.
February 16, 2026
Barely a 3 star. This isn't much of a biography. We get one page about her life before skating. And the art is almost entirely of Surya skating, most likely traced from real photos or video, with minimal backgrounds.
Surya Bonaly was a figure skater in the '90's, highly athletic but criticized for having more power than grace. Which may be true or it may hide an underlying racism. (I recall some black female gymnasts recieving the same criticism.) She worked on her grace but never rose above second place in competition. So, in her final competition, she made a statement by doing a backflip and landing on one skate, something no other skater has ever done.
In another medium, a biopic or something, the story would be compelling.
Surya Bonaly was a figure skater in the '90's, highly athletic but criticized for having more power than grace. Which may be true or it may hide an underlying racism. (I recall some black female gymnasts recieving the same criticism.) She worked on her grace but never rose above second place in competition. So, in her final competition, she made a statement by doing a backflip and landing on one skate, something no other skater has ever done.
In another medium, a biopic or something, the story would be compelling.
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May 13, 2025The author states a topical reason for writing in verse here, but I don't know that it really worked for me or felt that poetic.
Very focused on the second place narrative. Culminates in the backflip but doesn't say *why*.
The illustrations conveyed movement and the color and style of Bonaly's costumes well.
Very focused on the second place narrative. Culminates in the backflip but doesn't say *why*.
The illustrations conveyed movement and the color and style of Bonaly's costumes well.
Read
December 1, 2022JUSTICE FOR SURYA
January 26, 2023
An excellent book, but one that should definitely be enjoyed in hard copy.
August 26, 2023
a moving picture book biography of figure skater Surya Bonaly. I liked the short sentence style. Not a lot of back matter. Elementary and up
May 20, 2024
Fun and enlightening picturebook biography about the gymnast Surya Bonaly and her amazing feats.
February 26, 2026
I can barely walk in a straight line, backflipping on one skate is baller.
February 19, 2024
2.5 stars, or maybe just 2. This book just did not work for me. I will say that the illustrations are good, and so is nearly everything else about it, but I disliked the style of writing. It is, I suppose, free-form poetry, but it didn't feel like any kind of poetry to me. The line breaks felt choppy and prevented me from enjoying the story, and I nearly didn't finish the book, which is saying something because the book is less than 35 pages of short lines that are widely spaced. However, because it's so short, I'm not about to un-recommend it, as most people could finish it in one go and so for me it's just not worth having a strong opinion.
May 21, 2022
This picture book biography has beautiful, expressive illustrations, but the text spreads out over the page in a stylistic way that I found distracting, and I didn't like the random periods between words for emphasis. The book also ends in an abrupt and somewhat misleading way, after building up to Surya's moment of victory.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews