The Quickest Kid in Clarksville - Hardcover

Miller, Pat Zietlow

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1452129363 ISBN 13: 9781452129365

Publisher: Chronicle Books, 2016

Synopsis

It's the day before the big parade. Alta can only think about one thing: Wilma Rudolph, three-time Olympic gold medalist. She'll be riding on a float tomorrow. See, Alta is the quickest kid in Clarksville, Tennessee, just like Wilma once was. It doesn't matter that Alta's shoes have holes because Wilma came from hard times, too. But what happens when a new girl with shiny new shoes comes along and challenges Alta to a race? Will she still be the quickest kid? The Quickest Kid in Clarksville is a timeless story of dreams, determination, and the power of friendship.

About this title

About the Author:

Pat Zietlow Miller began her writing career in college as a sports reporter and has had a fascination with Wilma Rudolph ever since. Pat is the author of several picture books and lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

Frank Morrison is the Coretta Scott King Honor Award–winning illustrator of many books for young people. He lives Atlanta, Georgia.

From School Library Journal:

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, RIα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

About this edition

• Publisher: Chronicle Books
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1452129363
• ISBN 13: 9781452129365
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Morrison Frank