I think it’s most appropriate to share a picture book that I found by chance at a Scholastic Book Fair. It’s entitled The Magician’s Hat. I love the story behind the story! Malcolm Mitchell, a top wide receiver for the New England Patriots, is a voracious reader. It wasn’t always so. For, Malcolm was a natural on the field but found himself in college reading on a junior high school level. He describes his proudest accomplishment as working hard to improve his reading comprehension. So much so, that in college he joined a women’s book club to improve his “reading game.”
The Magician’s Hat shows the ways Malcolm has internalized the magic of reading across all genres for all purposes. He even founded his own literacy foundation for children entitled “Share the Magic” – what a role model for all students.
Malcolm hopes to return to the Patriots one day, having undergone ten surgical procedures. However, his time away from the game enabled him to share his story of motivation, persistence, and personal victory. I highly recommend this book!
