Opening this audiobook is like uncovering a Jumanji adventure! As we painted and drew at our family dining table; we experienced the pain and lessons of blisters that go untreated during day long traverses across ice and snow. We didn’t know that snow feels and behaves like sand there because it’s very dry in the Antarctic. Everything has to be carried away with you, including your poop! Otherwise it would be preserved forever on the ice.
Chapter 2 is in another desert like environment, but this time it’s the searing heat of Namibia. Helen had not run a full marathon ever when she signed up to complete an ultramarathon which would entail three back to back marathons through extreme temperatures. “How is that possible”?! We found ourselves exclaiming in unison.
Helen’s advice is to focus on yourself and your belief in what you can achieve.
… “When you do that, the possibilities for adventures are endless as grains of sand in the desert.”
Being able to hear Helen Skelton’s own voice narrating these adventures animates the stories so much more and makes it feel as if you are there alongside her. As she says, she is not an expert in any of these environments, or equipment adventurers use. She simply learns, plans and starts. We go along for the ride and imagine just what it would be like for us to do the same.
At a time during this national lockdown, when we are limited by our space, these adventures allow us to roam vastly different landscapes with our bubble whānau. They also demonstrate how resilient we all can be under trying circumstances. If we learn new things, plan our strategy and give things ago, we can all get through this lockdown with our own tales of adventure during a historic global pandemic.
Nameeta Shekhar, with help from Maya aged 7 and Iyla aged 6.
More titles you can access from home to continue the adventures
Home adventure ideas
The Classic Treasury of Childhood Wonders
Lonely Planet's Atlas of Adventure
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