February 8, 2016
In 1960, African-American runner Wilma Rudolph won three gold medals in the Olympic Games. In a story about teamwork and determination, Miller (Sharing the Bread) imagines the children Rudolph might have inspired. Alta lives in Rudolph's hometown of Clarksville, Tenn., which will be honoring the runner's victories in an upcoming parade (an author's note explains that the parade was the first major non-segregated event in Clarksville's history). Alta adores Rudolph and considers herself to be Clarksville's fastest kid, until she meets Charmaine, who has a brand-new pair of running shoes and boasts, "I'm faster than anyone." Several one-on-one races later, Charmaine's strutting confidence continues to irk Alta, whose family can't afford new shoes. But the girls overcome their initial prickliness in order to raceâtogetherâto the parade with a celebratory banner in tow. Working in watercolor, Morrison (Little Melba and Her Big Trombone) gives the girls abundant personality as they size one another up with laserlike glares. Miller does the same, narrating from Alta's no-nonsense point of view. Ages 5â8. Author's agent: Erin Murphy Literary Agency, Ammi-Joan Paquette. Illustrator's agent: Lori Nowicki, Painted Words.
January 15, 2016
Two little girls compete to meet a local hero. It's 1961. Tomorrow there'll be a big parade in Clarksville, Tennessee, honoring hometown girl Wilma Rudolph, "the fastest woman in the world" and winner of multiple Olympic gold medals. Alta, along with friends Dee Dee and Little Mo, likes to pretend that she's the fastest woman in the world and hopes to meet her idol. But there's a new girl in the neighborhood, Charmaine, with an abundance of attitude and a pair of beautiful new shoes, shoes "Like Wilma's," with stripes down the sides and laces so white they glow. Alta challenges her to a race, to the mailbox and back. Alta wins, thinking "Wil-Ma Ru-Dolph" all the while. Charmaine suggests another run, to the corner; this time, she wins. Walking away, Alta's foot hits a rock, and the rock hits Charmaine. They almost fight. But the next day, Alta is struggling to carry the big banner for Wilma when Charmaine struts by. In a turnaround, she helps out, and all four find a perfect spot to watch. Wilma Rudolph smiles at the new friends and waves. Miller's girl-power story also tucks in some nice observations on friendship. Morrison's watercolor illustrations are vibrant and evocative, capturing the thrill and pride in this African-American community for its famous daughter. A helpful author's note adds context. Sweet and inspiring. (Picture book. 5-8)
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March 1, 2016
K-Gr 2-A story about teamwork and perseverance, this homage to the great Wilma Rudolph takes place in 1960 at about the time of the homecoming parade for the Olympian, which occurred in Clarksville, TN-the first integrated event in that town. Young Alta idolizes the great runner and practices her own gait using a rhythmic chant: "Wil-ma Ru-dolph." When she meets a girl with a competitive spirit and brand-new sneakers, Alta has to remind herself that Wilma Rudolph overcame obstacles greater than worn-out shoes. On the day of the parade, a banner that Alta is making is too bulky for one person to carry the whole way, and the new girl, Charmaine, offers a solution-the girls and their friends run an Olympic-style relay to get the banner to the parade site on time. Morrison's full-bleed watercolor illustrations give an effective sense of time and place and render the characters movement well. An author's note provides brief biographical material emphasizing Rudolph's athletic achievements and her role in integrating her hometown. VERDICT A solid addition for large collections.-Lisa Lehmuller, Paul Cuffee Maritime Charter School, Providence, RI
Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
February 1, 2016
Grades K-2 Alta is the fastest runner in Clarksville, so an imminent visit to town by African American Olympian Wilma Rudolph could not be more exciting. But then Charmaine appears, sporting brand-new sneakers and an aura of confidence that rattles Alta. The girls challenge each other to a few races, each winning and losing, intensifying the competition. Soon enough, though, the competition turns to collaboration and friendship. The girls make one last dash, to Rudolph's welcome-home parade, where they collapse and observe, There are flags. Bands. Noise. / Black faces. And white ones. Alta and Charmaine are inspired by Rudolph's athletic accomplishments, but her success, as Charmaine points out, includes the efforts of a relay team. What begins as a story of individualism expands to embrace the notion of teamwork and unification, bolstering Rudolph's influence on the girls and on history itself. Morrison's bold, expressive watercolors capture the flavor of the era (1960s) with a contemporary tone that will make this story feel strikingly current.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2016
In this engaging, lively story, Alta's self-proclaimed "quickest kid in Clarksville" title is challenged by new-girl Charmaine. But on the day of the parade celebrating their hero, 1960 Olympic track star Wilma Rudolph, the girls collaborate. The text hints at the remarkable fact that Rudolph insisted that the celebrations be integrated; an author's note provides fuller mention and further information about Rudolph's life and achievements.
(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
July 1, 2016
Miller introduces us to Alta, the self-proclaimed "quickest kid in Clarksville" -- the same town that her shero, Wilma Rudolph, is from. As Alta daydreams about an upcoming parade celebrating the 1960 Olympic track star, she is confronted by Charmaine, a new girl with shiny new shoes (shoes "like Wilma's") who has the audacity to try to claim Alta's title. Their first few races against each other end in a draw, and their interactions are less than cordial. Charmaine taunts Alta about her old shoes, and in response Alta admits, "My toe hits a rockThat rock hits Charmaine." On the day of the parade, however, the girls must decide whether or not they can stop the angry competition, and they begin to collaborate. Miller has penned an engaging, lively story. Of particular note is Alta's way of keeping pace as she runs -- her repeated refrain of "Wil-ma Ru-dolph. Wil-ma Ru-dolph" echoes the story's steady rhythm. Illustrator Morrison (Little Melba and Her Big Trombone, rev. 11/14) has added a softness to his style with the use of watercolors; however, his familiar use of elongated limbs is on full display in the racing scenes between Alta and Charmaine. The remarkable fact that, in the Jim Crow South, Wilma Rudolph insisted that the celebrations in her honor be integrated is hinted at in the text, in Alta's fragmented sentences describing the parade ("Black faces. And white ones"); an author's note provides fuller mention ("Wilma's celebrations were the first major events for blacks and whites in Clarksville history") as well as further information about Rudolph's life and achievements. eboni njoku
(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)