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Jesse Owens
by Carole Boston Weatherford (Illustrator: Eric Velasquez)
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers (2006-12-26)
ISBN: 080279551X
EAN: 9780802795519
Dewey Decimal #: 796.42092
Binding/Media: Hardcover - 32 pages
Edition: 1st
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Release Date: 2006-12-26
SKU: 06619
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comments: Pages like new, some edge wear on dust jacket.
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
In 1936, America was years away from war with Nazi Germany. But long before the first battle of World War II, a starter's gun fired the first shot in our battle against the Nazis.
Adolf Hitler viewed the 1936 Berlin Olympics as a chance to show the superiority of the German "race" over the rest of the world. He never expected that an American, let alone a black American, would dash his dreams.
Jesse Owens grew up during an age when segregation laws forced him to eat at separate restaurants and stay at different hotels. But Jesse never let it slow him down while setting world records and winning a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. Once in Berlin, the triumph of Jesse's will helped him run through any barrier, winning not only Olympic gold, but countless fans.
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Customer Reviews
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Great illustrations
Rating  (5)
Date: 2010-08-23
I love this retelling of the Jesse Owens biography.
We also have the book "Childhoods of Famous Americans -- Jesse Owens", so we know his story well. One of my kids is a runner, and he loves Jesse.
I love the illustrations -- some pages have many panels, telling the story.
From the beginning "Ready, Set... GO" you are hooked on this book. Jesse is so well-beloved and inspirational, and it comes through loud and clear with every illustration.
As a mom, I don't think this book works too well as a stand-alone biography of Jesse Owens. The language is poetic and interesting, but my kids (all boys) respond much better to a declarative style of narration. The book is told in the second person, present tense: "You enter the stadium..." instead of "he entered the stadium" -- that can be hard for the young readers who might be drawn to a picture biography.
In addition, the book is light on context -- mentioning Jim Crow, mentioning and picturing Hitler, without any explanation. Picture-book-age kids don't automatically know what either Jim Crow or Hitler were. It opens up a nice discussion, but it almost should have been left out of the book.
Yes, I know picture books aren't only for little children.
After the story ends, Carole Boston Weatherford provides two pages of historical biography -- very nice.
Get this as the companion to the "Childhood of Famous Americans" Jesse book, they work well together.
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