Life savers by Eryl Nash and Ana Albero

In 2020 frontline workers in the health industry came to the fore showing their skills and passion for their work and dedication to helping people all over the world struggling in the COVID-19 pandemic. Life Savers written by Eryl Nash recognises twelve emergency real life workers from many different countries. There is a foreword from Dr Zoe Williams, a NHS Doctor and television presenter, who talks about heroes that are in everyday life and that 'their heroic powers come from their minds, hearts and able hands'. Some of the life-saving heroes include Fabien from France who rescues people from danger in the mountains, Jin from China is a cancer research scientist detecting ways to treat deadly diseases, Johanne from Germany is a counsellor who supports adults and children through hard times, Ashan is a surgeon from Pakistan who performs life-saving operations and Andrew from Australia who is a Flying Doctor.

Each double page spread presents a concise and easy to understand written account of a day in the life of the particular worker, a brief storyboard of them at work plus a whole page dedicated to the equipment or kit they require including the uniforms they wear and tools they use. The clever images are presented graphically and labelled clearly. At the end of the book are acknowledgements with photos of the real-life heroes. There is a list of resources with additional information and with website addresses for further research.

This book would be a welcome addition to a school or public library.

Themes: Frontline Workers, Emergency Services, Heroes.

Kathryn Beilby