To Debbie, for all her support and loveMB
To my momTH
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Text copyright 2015 by Michael Burgan. Illustrations copyright 2015 by Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. Published by Penguin Workshop, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. PENGUIN and PENGUIN WORKSHOP are trademarks of Penguin Books Ltd. WHO HQ & Design is a registered trademark of Penguin Random House LLC. Printed in the USA.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015947743
Ebook ISBN 9780698412385
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Contents
Who Is Richard Branson?
During the 1950s, the Branson family took a vacation to the beach in Devon, England. On the trip, five-year-old Rickys aunt Joyce made a bet with him. She would pay him if he could learn to swim before the end of their vacation.
Ricky spent the whole vacation trying to teach himself how to swim. Most of the time, he kept one foot on the sandy sea bottom and hopped along in the water. Waves would roll over him as he fought to keep the cold water out of his mouth. By the last day of the vacation, Ricky had not learned how to swim. Aunt Joyce told him he could try again next year. But Ricky wasnt ready to give up. He wanted to win the bet.
Ricky made one last try to learn how to swim. His family gathered around to watch. Ricky saw his mother smile, as if she were thinking, You can do it! He took a deep breath, went into the water, and then moved his arms and legs as best he could. He was swimming! Going around in a circle, he heard his family cheering. When Ricky came ashore, Aunt Joyce handed him the money for winning the bet. Ricky later said that even though it was only about two dollars, it seemed like a fortune.
As Ricky Branson grew up, he built a real fortune. He started many companies. Some of his businesses failed, but several became very successful. The world came to know him as the billionaire Richard Branson. And just as when he was a boy, he took plenty of risks. He learned to sail boats and to fly hot-air balloons. He even bought a rocket that could take him into space. Richard lived by this thought: If youve got a great idea, you need to just give it a try. And if you fall flat on your face, pick yourself up and try again.
Chapter 1
Early Challenges
On July 18, 1950, Richard Branson was born in London, England. Times were tough for his parents, Eve and Ted Branson. Ted was struggling to start his career as a lawyer, and the couple had little money. Eve helped out by making furniture cushions and selling them in the local shops. The family had just bought a small cottage in the countryside of Surrey.
His parents called their newborn son Ricky, though later everyone came to call him Richard. The Bransons didnt have a car. Ted drove the familys motorcycle while Eve sat behind him. She held on tight to Rickys baby carriage, which bounced along behind the bike. Baby Ricky seemed to enjoy the adventure, watching the scenery passing by.
Over the next few years, Eve Branson expanded her little business of selling cushions. She began to make wooden boxes and wastebaskets that she sold at Harrods, a large London department store. Ricky watched her work in a shed behind the family cottage. Eve was always trying to build her business.
Still, it wasnt all work and no play for the Bransons. Eve and Ted enjoyed spending time with Ricky and the two sisters who followed him, Lindy and Vanessa. They were always a close family. As the Bransons earned more money, they were able to afford a van. The family would head off with the children sprawled out on a mattress in the back of the van. The Bransons talked about many things, from Teds legal cases to current events in the news. Rickys parents wanted him and his sisters to think for themselves. They encouraged their children to freely express their own opinions.
Eve Branson also wanted her children to be comfortable in front of people. So when the Bransons had company, Ricky had to sing for the guests. He was sometimes shy around strangers, and he didnt like performing. Little by little, though, he got used to it. And he learned that he enjoyed entertaining people.
Ricky was a playful, energetic boy. He loved to climb trees and ride his bike. He also worked in the family garden and helped his mother around the house. Ricky was great at sports. He ran races and played soccer and rugby. School, though, was a challenge. In the classroom, he struggled to read the blackboard until he got glasses at around age ten. He also had a condition called dyslexia that made it difficult for him to learn. With dyslexia a person may not see numbers and letters in the correct order. They often have trouble reading, switching one letter for another. They might write mawn lower instead of lawn mower.
At eight, Ricky left home to go to Scaitcliffe, a boarding school in Surrey. Ted Branson had gone to boarding schools, too, as did most British boys whose families could afford it. They helped boys learn how to live away from their families and become independent.
Because of his dyslexia, Ricky struggled with schoolwork. Scaitcliffe allowed teachers to spank students with a cane if they made mistakes. Ricky was punished this way about once a week for simple mistakes such as giving the wrong date of a historic event. The beatings didnt help Ricky improve in school. His grades remained poor, and his parents were afraid he would not be able to get into a good high school. After about three years, the Bransons sent Ricky to a new school, Cliff View House.
