Skip to main content

Althea Gibson: The Story of Tennis' Fleet-Of-Foot Girl

By


Althea Gibson: The Story Of Tennis' Fleet-Of-Foot Girl
Written by:  Megan Reid
Illustrated by: Laura Freeman
HarperCollins Publishers, 2020. Biography

Althea Gibson was the quickest, fastest, tallest girl in Harlem in the 1940's and she was fearless. She could never sit still and would play any sport with anyone. She was good at everything she tried but the sport she liked best was paddle tennis. She loved the sound the ball made when it hit the tight strings of her  racket. She worked hard and spent years improving her skills and finally in 1950 she became the first black American to compete at the US national championship. However, she never gave up on her dream to eventually play internationally and compete in the championship game at Wimbledon. Finally in 1957 she was allowed to compete and became the first ever black person to win a championship at Wimbledon.  

This picture book biography tells Altheas journey with vivid illustrations that capture her personality and drive to become the best during a difficult time in civil rights history.  It took more then skill alone for her to succeed but this well researched book explains her determination to prove to the world that she could become the best regardless of the color of her skin. A great book for middle grade tennis enthusiasts and anyone who wants to learn more about this remarkable woman. 


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

If You Like...KPop Demon Hunters

By
KPop Demon Hunters has been one of the most talked-about movies of the summer. If you loved this movie as much as I did, you don't want the magic (or the music) to stop. Try reading these books that touch on some of the same topics and themes as the animated hit! Brick Dust and Bones By M. R. Fournet New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2023. Fiction. 247 pages. Orphaned Marius works in the family business--as their cemetery's ghost caretaker. However, Marius also moonlights as a monster hunter in order to earn the costly Mystic currency he needs to bring his mother back from the dead. As the window to bring his mother back begins to close, Marius's exploits get more and more dangerous, and he may have set his sights on a monster too big to handle on his own. Like Mira, Marius longs for familial connection, and his work as a monster hunter will satisfy the thrill of demon hunting for fans the movie. Where's Halmoni? By Julie J. Kim Seattle, WA: Little Bigfoot, 2017. Comics. W...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Library in the Woods

By
  The Library in the Woods Written by Calvin Alexander Ramsey Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie Minneapolis, MN : Carolrhoda Books, 2025. Picture Book. I am always intrigued by picture books that tell stories from the past in beautiful and meaningful ways, leaving the reader educated, and also hopeful and inspired. This book definitely did that for me! The cover is a beautiful peek into the story waiting on the pages. Junior and his family have lived on a farm that is having a hard time producing what it needs to for the family to survive economically. The parents make the hard decision to move away from the farm and into the city. Junior misses a lot of things about his life in the country. However, when Junior's friends tell him about a library in the woods, things change for him in the best way! He is amazed by the seemingly endless collection of books, and is eager to check some out for his family. Junior excitedly borrows a few books, including one about a farmer for his dad ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Tumblebaby

By
Tumblebaby Written by Adam Rex Illustrated by Audrey Helen Weber New York : Neal Porter Books/Holiday House, 2024. Picture book. I love a funky picture book. Slumbering Tumblebaby rolls out the door and into a wonderfully meandering yarn, thwarting scoundrels and coyotes, scaling unclimbable mountains, and even building a community center in Colorado City. Adam Rex's text reads like a folksy tall tale, punctuated by funny lines and rhyming chants.  Weber's colorful, round illustrations feel a little Fauvist, a little cubist. It's a sort of "Oh, The Places You'll Go!"  but in reverse - we learn in the last few pages that, in fact, that baby was YOU! This revelation made my young son gasp, which made me choke up.  Tumblebaby is a surreal delight perfect for reading together. 
Post a Comment
Read more