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Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite
We all like to dream big and no one likes to lose. But, sometimes, the odds are stacked against some of us and it’s very difficult to have a fair chance. That didn’t stop Reya. She lived in a box-shaped house, an apartment, with her mother. There wasn’t much money. After school each day, Reya had to help her mother at work. When she could, Reya was outside in the field, playing soccer with her friend, West, always wearing the same pair of socks. Excitement amongst the children was considerable when they heard about the drawing contest that could win them a visit to see the World Cup. Only Reya didn’t have any crayons to draw her picture. That is until her mother found her a used box of crayons. Would her drawing be good enough? Would she win?
Melita Cyril’s picture book story, The Contest, is a story about dreams. It doesn’t matter how big the dream is, one can always try their best to achieve that dream. And that’s what Reya did. The story is told in rhyming verse with delightfully colorful illustrations that help lead the young reader through the story. This is an inspirational story for youngsters, especially girls, encouraging them to pursue their dreams, no matter how big, and to pursue activities they enjoy even if they are traditionally male dominated like many sports activities still are. Reya loves playing soccer and her dream was to go to the World Cup. For a child in a single-parent household, where money was in short supply, the dream was just that ... until the drawing competition. Anything’s possible when you dream big and you try!
