A Hero Like Me

Empower children to stand up for what is right with this powerful picture book inspired by the real-life events surrounding the toppling of a slave trader’s statue. Through the eyes of a young girl, readers explore the daily experience of walking past a towering monument to a man who "sold freedom for cotton and tea." While the world around her calls him a hero, she knows he doesn't stand for kindness or peace—and she begins to wonder if he should stand at all.

A Hero Like Me is a moving tribute to the events of June 2020 in Bristol, when the statue of seventeenth-century slave trader Edward Colston was removed during an anti-racism protest. Co-author Jen Reid was a protester that day who climbed onto the empty plinth and raised her fist—a moment of spontaneous bravery that was captured on camera and shared globally. This story teaches children that they have a voice in their community and a say in who is honored on their streets. It is a vital tool for encouraging young readers to have the courage to be their own heroes and to understand that their power, like Jen's, can change the world.