Last Place Lin   by Wai Chim, illustrated by Freida Chiu

Title: Last Place Lin      

Author: Wai Chim, illustrated by Freida Chiu

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Published: 1^st August 2023

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 32

Price: $19.99

Synopsis: Lin’s excited about her first school sports day until she comes last. A relatable picture book about endurance and resilience from the award-winning author and Australian Survivor contestant, Wai Chim.

It’s Sports Day! Everyone has a different House colour.
I’m in the Red House. Go Red!
It’s time for the sack race. On your marks, get set, go!
But not everyone can come first.

Sometimes winning means finishing, even if you finish last.

A reassuring celebration of the spirit to keep going, from award-winning author Wai Chim and acclaimed illustrator Freda Chiu.

~*~

Lin is about to go to her first sports day at school. That is, until she loses every event, and everyone starts to call her Last Place Lin – and her team, the Red House, doesn’t get the result they want. But even as they make fun of her, Lin finds out that you don’t need to win everything – that sometimes you win when you finish.

In a world so focused on winning and getting first place – especially when it comes to sports in Australia – Wai’s book is refreshing. It reminds children and adults that winning isn’t everything. You don’t need to be the best all the time, but finishing a race, a story, or anything is an act of winning itself. The Matilda’s recent 4^th place achievement at the Women’s FIFA World Cup is a win in itself, marking one of Australia’s finest sporting achievements and showing girls like Lin how far they can go as well as the importance of finishing what you started.

This is a book that kids of all ages will appreciate, because everyone has wanted to win something and then hasn’t. Seeing Lin’s resilience and determination to try as hard as she can is encouraging. I loved the diversity in this book – Freida has managed to capture a broad range of looks and children in this book, and it ensures that many readers will see something of themselves in this book – whether it is what they look like, how they get around, or their determination to try. Because it is when we try that we really win as much as actually winning a game. It allows us to see what we are capable of and what we enjoy doing rather than focusing on winning all the time.

Kids will engage well with this story, and it will help them learn that they can find joy in taking part as much as winning. It is a book that is fun and filled with a great message about giving things a go and friendship when you feel like you are not succeeding at all. A great picture book from Wai.