Touch the Sky: Alice Coachman, Olympic High Jumper
Alice Coachman’s teacher “saw something special in that never-sit-still girl” and took Alice to her first track meet. Alice was captivated. She and her friends made a high bar out of sticks and a rag, and Alice started jumping. She eventually jumped all the way to Tuskegee Institute High School, where she sewed and mopped to pay her fees. Then she jumped onto the U.S. Olympic team. At the 1948 Olympics in London, she jumped her way to gold. A lively, informative picture book biography acknowledges the barriers that this spirited African American girl faced as a child and young woman, from criticism at home early on for her unladylike ways to the racism that was a reality in the wider world. Throughout, Alice’s energy and determination remained undaunted. End matter includes black-and-white photos of Alice and an author’s note describing how Alice was hailed as a hero by Blacks and whites alike when she returned to the United States and her home town of Albany, Georgia. ©2012 Cooperative Children's Book Center
Illustrated by Eric Velasquez
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 5-8
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Formats:
Biography, Autobiography and Memoir
Picture book
Subjects:
20th Century
African Americans
Biography
Girls and Women
History (Nonfiction)
Perseverance
Racism
Sports
Diversity subject:
Black/African
Publisher:
Albert Whitman
Publish Year: 2012
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9780807580356
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 920 Coachman