August 25, 2020, 12:06pm
A groundbreaking children’s book based on an equally groundbreaking sports hero comes out today: Fauja Singh Keeps Going by Simran Jeet Singh, featuring the story of the first centenarian marathon runner, is also the first children’s book from a major publisher that features a Sikh main character, according to its author.
It’s finally here! Our new kid’s book, Fauja Singh Keeps Going, is story has been more than 100 years in the making.
It’s also a labor of love that fulfills my own childhood dream of seeing Sikh characters in major bookstores and libraries around the world. pic.twitter.com/bMmm43jGKH
— Simran Jeet Singh (@SikhProf) August 25, 2020
After running a marathon for the first time at the age of 81, Fauja Singh completed the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2011 at the age of 100. Singh said on Twitter that the athlete’s story “builds inclusion and equity by challenging our assumptions (e.g., racism, ageism, disability) and helping us reimagine what our heroes can look like.”
The book is published by Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, and illustrated by Baljinder Kaur.