Age range 7+
In
1901, aged just seven, tiny contortionist May Zinga was given away to Wirth
Brothers Circus by her desperate mother. Imagine Miss May’s horror when the
first thing the Wirths did was cut off all her long hair. Poor May had lost
both her family and her crowning glory! But this feisty, talented and
determined little girl did not give up. Despite many setbacks, including a
horrific accident, she kept fighting to fulfil her dream of becoming the best
bareback rider in the world, performing the same dangerous acrobatic feats as
male riders––only better!
This fourth
title in Stephanie Owen Reeder’s award-winning Heritage Heroes series retells the remarkable true story of
equestrienne May Wirth, while providing historical insights into life in an
Australian circus at the beginning of the twentieth century.
