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    Magnificent Mary

    How India's Mary Kom Became a Boxing Champion

    Author Jyoti Rajan Gopal
    Illustrated by Tara Anand
    Ebook (EPUB FXL CPB)
    Penguin Young Readers | Viking Books for Young Readers
    On sale Jan 26, 2027 | 40 Pages | 9798217039098
    Age 4-8 years | Preschool - 3
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    A lyrical picture book biography of India's boxing champion Mary Kom--a young girl who followed her insticts and left her beloved village and family to pursue a career that would take her farther from home than she ever imagined.

    Mangte Chungnejang Kom (Mary Kom for short) was born to a poor family of tenant farmers in the tiny village of Kangathei, in Manipur, India. Before and after school, Mary hauls bags of rice and buckets of water, and she plows rice fields with water buffalo. Despite her small frame, Mary is incredibly strong, and she dreams of becoming rich and famous like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, the martial arts stars who she watches on her small TV. She longs to lift her family out of poverty.

    When her athletic talents are finally noticed and an opportunity to leave her beloved village for a career in sports arises, she uses her homegrown grit and determination to fight her way through gender, size, and class stereotypes. Ingeniously told in the format of a ten-round boxing match, Magnificent Mary is the story of a small girl from a small village who went on to become a national hero and India's first ever female boxing star.
    Jyoti Rajan Gopal is an award-winning picture book author, mom and forever kindergarten teacher. Her books have received starred reviews in Kirkus Reviews, Publisher’s Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist, and BookPage and are on the Bank Street, NYPL, and SLJ Best Books lists. She is the recipient of the ALA 2024 Stonewall Honor Award and a finalist for the 2023 Neev Literature Award.

    Jyoti writes stories--fiction and nonfiction--of identity, community and belonging, themes that speak to her heart and reflect her multiple identities.

    Growing up, she lived in Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, India, and China. She now lives in New York with her husband, where they raised their two daughters.

    Tara Anand (she/her) is an illustrator and visual artist from Bombay, India. She is currently pursuing a BFA in illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York. Her work tends to draw from books, history, and her surroundings, and she enjoys working with female-driven narratives. She has worked primarily on editorial and children’s book projects. View titles by Jyoti Rajan Gopal
    Tara Anand View titles by Tara Anand

    About

    A lyrical picture book biography of India's boxing champion Mary Kom--a young girl who followed her insticts and left her beloved village and family to pursue a career that would take her farther from home than she ever imagined.

    Mangte Chungnejang Kom (Mary Kom for short) was born to a poor family of tenant farmers in the tiny village of Kangathei, in Manipur, India. Before and after school, Mary hauls bags of rice and buckets of water, and she plows rice fields with water buffalo. Despite her small frame, Mary is incredibly strong, and she dreams of becoming rich and famous like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, the martial arts stars who she watches on her small TV. She longs to lift her family out of poverty.

    When her athletic talents are finally noticed and an opportunity to leave her beloved village for a career in sports arises, she uses her homegrown grit and determination to fight her way through gender, size, and class stereotypes. Ingeniously told in the format of a ten-round boxing match, Magnificent Mary is the story of a small girl from a small village who went on to become a national hero and India's first ever female boxing star.

    Author

    Jyoti Rajan Gopal is an award-winning picture book author, mom and forever kindergarten teacher. Her books have received starred reviews in Kirkus Reviews, Publisher’s Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist, and BookPage and are on the Bank Street, NYPL, and SLJ Best Books lists. She is the recipient of the ALA 2024 Stonewall Honor Award and a finalist for the 2023 Neev Literature Award.

    Jyoti writes stories--fiction and nonfiction--of identity, community and belonging, themes that speak to her heart and reflect her multiple identities.

    Growing up, she lived in Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, India, and China. She now lives in New York with her husband, where they raised their two daughters.

    Tara Anand (she/her) is an illustrator and visual artist from Bombay, India. She is currently pursuing a BFA in illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York. Her work tends to draw from books, history, and her surroundings, and she enjoys working with female-driven narratives. She has worked primarily on editorial and children’s book projects. View titles by Jyoti Rajan Gopal
    Tara Anand View titles by Tara Anand

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