Updated: Sep 18, 2021
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Christy Ottaviano Books
(Henry Holt and Company)
(pub.3.9.2021) 40 pages
Author: Robert Burleigh
Illustrator: Wendell Minor
Character: Wilbur Wright
Overview:
"On September 29th, 1909, Wilbur Wright performed his first public flight for a crowd of disbelievers in the New York Harbor, home to the Statue of Liberty. With courage and caution, he put his airplane to the test and flew around the iconic landmark while the crowd observed, breathless.
This minute-by-minute account of Wright’s voyage over New York City captures the weight and the wonder of human achievement. When Wilbur Wright met Lady Liberty, he propelled his dream into the imaginations of many, securing the future of aviation." Tantalizing taste:
"From far below, a thunderous cheering rises, falls, and rises again. Flags flutter. Hats fly skyward. Whistles sound. Horns blare.
Passengers crowd the deck of the Lusitania, looking up and calling out. Wilbur dips one wing in a playful hello and flies on. The powerful deep blast from the great ship's foghorn even makes the Flyer shake slightly!"
And something more: Robert Burleigh shares in the Author's Note: "Wilbur's New York Harbor flight was the first either of the brothers had made over a body of water."
Updated: Sep 18, 2021
How a Teacher Led an Unlikely Team to Victory
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Kids Can Press
(pub. 5.4.2021) 40 pages
Author: Julie Abery
Illustrator: Chris Sasaki
Character: Soichi Sakamoto
Overview: "The inspirational and little-known story of a dedicated teacher who coached Hawaiian swimmers all the way to the Olympics, beautifully told in simple rhyme. When the children of workers on a 1930s Maui sugar plantation were chased away from playing in the nearby irrigation ditches, local science teacher Soichi Sakamoto had an idea. He offered to take responsibility for the children --- and then he began training them how to swim... The children worked hard under the dedicated Sakamoto's guidance, and their skills improved. They formed a swim club and began to dominate in swimming events around the world. And then one day, the proud Sakamoto saw an impossible dream come true --- Olympic gold!" Tantalizing taste:
"Valley Isle.
Lush terrain.
Migrant workers
cutting cane.
Dawn to dusk
they toil away.
Children left
alone to play.
Melting in the
midday sun,
diving, swimming,
having fun."
"Run!
Policeman's on his beat.
Children scatter
in the heat."
And something more: Julie Abery explains in the Author's Note: "From his classroom window, a local science teacher named Soichi Sakamoto would watch the children swim [in the murky water of the sugar plantation irrigation ditches]. Sakamoto decided to speak to the owners of the Hawaiian Commercial and Sugar Company, offering to take responsibility for the children if the company would allow them to keep swimming in the irrigation ditches... Although not a good swimmer himself, he researched swimming strokes and applied his science background to come up with innovative training techniques... Finally, in 1948 Sakamoto's impossible dream came true. .. the Three-Year Swim Club's own Bill Smith took a glorious win in the 400-meter freestyle race- an Olympic record and Olympic gold!"
Updated: Sep 18, 2021
The Story of the First Women's National Skateboard Champion
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Farrar Straus Giroux
(mackids)
(pub. 2.23.21) 48 pages
Author: Tootie Nienow
Illustrator: Erika Medina
Character: Pattie McGee
Overview: "There Goes Patti McGee! walks us through Patti's first place win in the women’s division of the 1964 National Skateboard Championship. She wowed the judges with with what would become her signature move―the rolling handstand. Inspiring and unapologetic, Patti McGee proves that anyone can skate." Tantalizing taste:
"Around and around, back and forth, up and down, and just for fun, she cartwheeled and walked handstands.
That's it! Patti thought. Skateboard is all about having fun. And this trick is the most fun!
Then the work began. Five hours a day!
Feet together. Toes pointed.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
It wasn't easy. Her arms ached and her knuckles bled.
On the day she balanced perfectly for six seconds, she knew was ready."
And something more: Tootie Nienow explains in the section Where Is She Now that "Patti McGee continues to inspire young skaters. At the Venice Annual Ladies Skateboard Jam in Los Angeles, Patti coaches skaters as young as five years old. She loves to help them hone their skills and tells them to 'skate every day.' In 2018, Patti embarked on a border-to-border tour from San Diego, California toVancouver, Canada... Wherever she goes, she shakes hands and gives hugs to everyone she meets, wanting to make people feel special and believe in their dreams, because that's how people accomplish the extraordinary... just like Patti did."
