Awards

• Winner of Keystone to Reading Book Award (Intermediate) 2014

Overview

As this year’s Olympics draw near in Rio de Janeiro, athletes from around the world are training hard to overcome the competition, just as Alice Coachman did for the 1948 Olympics in London. This inspirational nonfiction book by Heather Lang is a story of perseverance and unwavering ambition that follows Coachman on her journey from rural Georgia, where she overcame adversity both as a woman and as a black athlete, to her triumph in Wembly Stadium. With her strong determination and innate athletic talent, Alice raced her way to the top of the track and field world and, leaping over all hurdles in her path, went on to become the first African American woman to take home the gold medal. This amazing journey is complemented by Floyd Cooper’s pastel illustrations that serve to represent Coachman’s incredible struggles. School Library Journal says: “Lang brings her subject’s early years to life through small details… Cooper’s pastels keep to a brown, grainy palette, recalling the Georgia dirt on which the track star ran as a child.”

Full Product Details

9781590788509

Table of Contents

Reviews

Lang brings her subject's early years to life through small details. . . . Cooper's pastels keep to a brown, grainy palette, recalling the Georgia dirt on which the track star ran as a child. -School Library Journal From the hardships of her Georgia childhood through the 1948 London Olympics at which she won gold and became a legend, this biography stands out for the lesser-known details it includes (e.g. Coachman's dance performance aboard the London-bound ship). Cooper's grainy sepia-hued pastels are striking; endnotes with more about Coachman and the historic 1948 Olympics support the thorough text. -The Horn Book

Lang brings her subject's early years to life through small details. . . . Cooper's pastels keep to a brown, grainy palette, recalling the Georgia dirt on which the track star ran as a child. -- School Library Journal From the hardships of her Georgia childhood through the 1948 London Olympics at which she won gold and became a legend, this biography stands out for the lesser-known details it includes (e.g. Coachman's dance performance aboard the London-bound ship). Cooper's grainy sepia-hued pastels are striking; endnotes with more about Coachman and the historic 1948 Olympics support the thorough text. -- The Horn Book

Lang brings her subject's early years to life through small details. . . . Cooper's pastels keep to a brown, grainy palette, recalling the Georgia dirt on which the track star ran as a child. -- School Library Journal

Lang brings her subject's early years to life through small details. . . . Cooper's pastels keep to a brown, grainy palette, recalling the Georgia dirt on which the track star ran as a child. --School Library Journal From the hardships of her Georgia childhood through the 1948 London Olympics at which she won gold and became a legend, this biography stands out for the lesser-known details it includes (e.g. Coachman's dance performance aboard the London-bound ship). Cooper's grainy sepia-hued pastels are striking; endnotes with more about Coachman and the historic 1948 Olympics support the thorough text. --The Horn Book Magazine

Lang brings her subject's early years to life through small details. . . . Cooper's pastels keep to a brown, grainy palette, recalling the Georgia dirt on which the track star ran as a child. --School Library Journal From the hardships of her Georgia childhood through the 1948 London Olympics at which she won gold and became a legend, this biography stands out for the lesser-known details it includes (e.g. Coachman's dance performance aboard the London-bound ship). Cooper's grainy sepia-hued pastels are striking; endnotes with more about Coachman and the historic 1948 Olympics support the thorough text. --The Horn Book

"""Lang brings her subject's early years to life through small details. . . . Cooper's pastels keep to a brown, grainy palette, recalling the Georgia dirt on which the track star ran as a child."" —School Library Journal ""From the hardships of her Georgia childhood through the 1948 London Olympics at which she won gold and became a legend, this biography stands out for the lesser-known details it includes (e.g. Coachman's dance performance aboard the London-bound ship). Cooper's grainy sepia-hued pastels are striking; endnotes with more about Coachman and the historic 1948 Olympics support the thorough text."" —The Horn Book"

Author Information

Heather Lang, a former public-health attorney, was inspired by Alice Coachman's indomitable spirit. This is her first picture book. She lives in Lexington, Massachusetts. Visit heatherlang.com.  Floyd Cooper (1956–2021) illustrated over 110 books for children, including Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford, for which he was awarded a Caldecott Honor, the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, and a Sibert Honor. He was also the recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award for The Blacker the Berry; three Coretta Scott King Honors for I Have Heard of a Land, Meet Danitra Brown, and Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea; 10 ALA Notables; and an NAACP Image Award, among other honors. Visit floydcooper.com.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available