Sunday, October 28, 2018

~ MMGM WOMEN ATHLETES WHO RULE SI KIDS ~

~ MARVELOUS MIDDLE-GRADE
MONDAY NON-FICTION FEATURE ~
--  'SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS:
WOMEN ATHLETES WHO RULE!'  --
EDITOR: ELIZABETH McGARR McCUE
~Post Includes:  Book Spotlight,
Author Bio & Review






ABOUT THE BOOK {from Goodreads}:

The fifth book in the Big Book of Who series from Sports Illustrated Kids profiles extraordinary athletes who shaped the narratives of their sports. The best women athletes--past and present--including Billie Jean King, Serena Williams, Nadia Comaneci, Simone Biles, and dozens more are grouped into these categories: Superstars who reinvented what it means to be a sports celebrity, Wonder Women who transcend sports and created seismic shifts in our culture, Trail Blazers who broke barriers and paved the way for others to follow, Record Breakers who set new standards for excellence, and the Champions who showed heart and gumption as winners. All of their stories bring excellence in women's sports to readers hungry for empowering stories for kids--girls and boys alike.

MY THOUGHTS:

I have followed the sports of ice skating, tennis, and baseball since the 1970s, and in the 1980s I began following professional golf. So when I saw this book on the new book shelf in the children's section of the local public library, I grabbed it. I'm so glad I did!

This book is well-formatted with awesome photographs of these athletes in action, a nice-sized font, text set aside in easy-to-read boxes, and a 'Fast Fact' or 'WOW Factor' for each of the 101 women athletes presented in the book. The photographs really are spectacular. Many of them are in black and white because of the era in which they were taken.

As mentioned in the blurb about the book from Goodreads at the beginning of this post, the book is divided into five sections. There is a 'Player Index' in the back matter of the book. Each athlete's name is shown as last name, first name {i.e. Lopez, Nancy} making it easy for readers to find their favorite athletes quickly.

I learned about women athletes from sports I don't follow and about the little-known-to-me sports some of them have participated in over the years. Some of the sports covered in the book include bowling, track and field, auto racing, softball, tennis, golf, ice skating, snow skiing, ice hockey, polo, soccer, and basketball.

My favorite features in the book were the ones about inspirational women who overcame tremendous obstacles to become champions in one or more sports.

  • Wilma Rudolph: This athlete won three Olympic gold medals for running in track and field events. This was an amazing feat since her left leg was paralyzed from double pneumonia and scarlet fever when she was four years old. When she was eight she began to walk using a leg brace, and she was sixteen when she qualified for the U.S. Olympic track and field team!
  • Althea Gibson: In 1950, she was the first African-American to play in the U.S. National Championships of tennis which was later renamed the U.S. Open. In 1956 and 1957 Althea won the career grand slam of tennis--French Open, Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open. In 1963, this athlete became the first African-American golfer to join the LPGA {Ladies Professional Golf Association} tour where she played in 171 tournaments through 1977.
  • Steffi Graf: I'll be honest, I was a huge Steffi Graf fan throughout her career. I learned in this book that she is the only tennis player to win Olympic gold and all four tennis major tournaments in the same year! I loved watching this woman play tennis--she was tenacious and graceful and mindful all at once.
  • Babe Didrikson Zaharias: Babe was recognized in this book as being the greatest athlete of the first half of the twentieth century because of her versatility as an athlete. She was a champion in track and field events, golf, basketball, and softball.
  • Paralympian Champions: Jessica Long and Tatyana McFadden were featured in the book as paralympian champions in swimming and wheelchair marathon/cross-country skiing, respectively. Their dedication to their sports and their accomplishments are an inspiration to all who follow sports.

I'd like to mention a unique individual who was rightfully included in this book. Eunice Kennedy Shriver founded the Special Olympics in 1962 by holding a summer camp for young people with intellectual disabilities. The movement now includes almost five million athletes--aged eight years old to adults--in 172 countries. Mrs. Shriver is included in the chapter titled, 'Trailblazers', along with Wilma Rudolph, Althea Gibson, and the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest {Junko Tabei}.
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Highly-recommended for readers of any age or gender who are interested in learning the history of global sports and iconic female sports heroes!
Find the links to read more great Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts from middle-grade authors and bloggers at Greg Pattridge's 'Always in the Middle' Blog. 
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****ENDING SOON!

IF YOU HAVE A MIDDLE-GRADER/TWEEN/TEEN WHO IS INTERESTED IN LEARNING TO SEW AND QUILT, YOU'LL DEFINITELY WANT TO ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER FOR ONE PRINT COPY OF 'SEWING SCHOOL QUILTS' TO A LUCKY US/CANADA WINNER. GIVEAWAY IS SPONSORED BY STOREY PUBLISHING.

ONE PRINT COPY--OPEN TO US/CANADA




LINK TO THE CURRENT GIVEAWAYS PAGE ON 'READING, WRITING & STITCH-METIC'

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6 comments:

  1. What a great series! I've read a few other "Who" books but not this one yet. I've always followed women's sports so it will be a good fit when I find a copy of the book. Thanks for sharing it today on MMGM.

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    Replies
    1. You're welcome for the share, Greg. I haven't yet read the others in this series, but I will try to read them in the future. Happy MMGM! Best, June

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  2. Wow, this sounds like and amazing book about trail blazing female athletes that made remarkable achievements and are an inspiration for teens. I like the entire series.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by for MMGM, Patricia. You're right--these women are an inspiration to teens and younger kids, too. Sincerely, June

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  3. So many good books are coming out featuring women. This sounds like a great addition to the canon. Thanks for the post.

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  4. Hi, Rosi ~ I appreciate your sharing your positive thoughts here. Thanks for stopping by for MMGM! Best, June

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