What do you want to be when you grow up? Some of you would like to follow your parents, some would love to emulate older siblings, while many inclined towards sports and athletics would hope to become famous one day.

DK Publishing’s When I Grow Up — Sports Heroes helps those who want to be sportspersons by highlighting the careers of some of the best names in the market.

Illustrated by Lucy Semple, this inspiring board book for little ones profiles the careers of Usain Bolt, Lionel Messi, Angelique Kerber, LeBron James and other sports stars, inspiring readers to follow in their footsteps. The book dedicates two pages to each athlete mentioned, explaining that, like the readers, they were once small children learning about the world.

The athletes featured in this book is brilliantly imagined as a kid by the illustrator, which is helpful in many ways. First, it resonates with young readers, and second, it explains the circumstances in which these individuals grew up, which might not have been ideal.

If you didn’t know that the fastest man on the planet, Usain Bolt, wanted to be a cricketer, or that Lionel Messi left Argentina to train in Spain at the age of 13, then there is a lot you need to know about your favourite athletes.

The book explains how these kids found what they loved, the sacrifices they made and who helped them follow their passions all the way into adulthood.

The main objective of this book seems to be drilling into your minds that being young isn’t a disadvantage, but an advantage, because every athlete we adore once started young. For them, achieving sporting greatness was a tough task, but their journey will surely inspire many others to follow.

Besides Messi and Bolt, the book also takes you down memory lane, showing how Ellie Simmonds developed a love of water, who inspired figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu when she was young, and why Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber plays with her left hand.

You will be surprised to know the answer to all these questions, and many more that will arise in your mind while reliving the experiences and passions of these world-class achievers.

Published in Dawn, Young World, April 4th, 2026