In Oceans of Kindness, Laura Bingham completes her 7000km bike ride across South America by peddling through Argentina and reaching the Atlantic Ocean. She is joined by her sister and together they discover the kindness of strangers through the ups and downs of an incredible adventure.
It’s a beautifully illustrated book for young adventurers who might already be dreaming of foreign lands. What Laura does well is explore the connection between taking risks and building confidence, and how some things that might seem scary can also be fun.
Positivity is the message! Throughout the journey it is clear how keeping a positive mindset can make everything better - even when your food is stolen by a stray dog or you’ve got a poorly tummy!
Oceans of Kindness is the comforting conclusion to a series of books which taps into the dreams and fears of young minds by taking them to a distant place and showing them that even here there are people who will love and look after you.
Laura loves adventure and has a big dream. But is her plan to cycle 7,000 kilometres across South America without any money -relying on the kindness and goodwill of the people she meets - just too much? The last stage of her remarkable journey is in Argentina, where she encounters unexpected challenges which test her courage and determination to the limit.
Can she develop the positive approach she needs to complete her adventure?
Author, Laura Bingham, said: “When I set out on this adventure, I primarily wanted to raise funds and awareness of a charity for homeless children, but I also wanted to challenge myself and my limits, to see what I could achieve. The experiences, and the kindness I was fortunate enough to meet along my journey truly transformed me. That I have the opportunity to share the journey, and to help ignite kid’s curiosity to discover other cultures and countries, and empower young minds to see the positive change they can achieve through this series is truly a privilege.”
Laura Bingham is a British adventurer who, in 2014 and with no experience whatsoever, joined a two-man crew and sailed a 38ft trimaran across the Atlantic. In 2016 she cycled across South America, raising both money and awareness for Operation South America. In 2018 she led the first ever crew to navigate South America’s Essequibo river from source to sea. A natural-born adventurer, she is married to fellow adventurer and survivalist, Ed Stafford, with whom she has a young son, and a host of animals!
To celebrate the publication of Oceans of Kindness, Award Publications is launching a competition for children 12 and under, to tell the story of their very own epic adventure – real or imagined - either through illustration or a short story of up to 500 words.
One winning entrant from each primary key stage year group will win a signed set of the full ‘Spirit of Adventure’ series, and the star prize will be an online visit to their school by Laura Bingham, live from Costa Rica – the location of her latest adventure!
Entrants must submit their work by 30th September 2023 (with their name, class and age) via parents or schools to competition@awardpublications.co.uk.
The winning entries will be decided by Laura Bingham herself, and winners will be notified by 15th October 2023. You can find out more here.
