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Searching... Stillwater Public Library | J 921 GIBSON | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Growing up in Harlem in the 1930s, Althea Gibson became tough and rebellious. Some said she was having trouble finding her way, until she was a teenager when she discovered she had a talent for sports. In fact, Althea was a natural at tennis, but tennis was played mostly by wealthy white people in country clubs that excluded African Americans. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Althea was not deterred. Instead, she set about becoming a barrier-breaking and world-famous athlete.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3--Not only was Gibson a record-breaking tennis player, but she also played an important role in breaking down racial barriers. As a child of poor sharecroppers in the volatile South, life was full of hardships, which resulted in her being sent off to live with an aunt in New York City and then to another aunt in Philadelphia. When she was nine, the family was reunited in Harlem where young Althea grew to be as tough as nails. Amazingly, she channeled energy from fighting and skipping school to a love of sports for which she had a natural talent. Winning title after title, this amazing athlete rose to fame and proved she was indeed playing to win. For the most part, the multimedia illustrations are well matched to the power and fluidity of the text, particularly in capturing the champion in action. In some spreads, the perspective is awkward, and in a few others, the backgrounds overwhelm the main figures. Overall, though, this well-written and attractive biography will be a popular addition to most collections.-Judy Chichinski, Skyline Elementary School, Tacoma, WA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In her first children's book, Dean takes a reportorial approach to the Althea Gibson story and strives to give readers a sense of how the tennis star's extraordinary accomplishments fit within the context of segregated America and the white world of professional tennis. Unfortunately, her ambitious, sweeping approach drains this biography of much of its humanity and particularity. The prose, too, can distance readers: "She became a curiosity to many spectators and officials," reads a typical passage. "Some objected to her participation and doubted that she was any good." Many of Brown's (My Family Plays Music) highly stylized pictures, which combine cut paper with other media, have the verve of an urban street mural and give the book visual oomph. But only one spread, which employs a multiple-exposure effect, imparts a sense of Gibson's athletic power. Elsewhere, static, mask-like portraits keep Gibson a remote figure, never suggesting the drive or exuberance for which Deans celebrates her. Ages 4-8. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
Powerful mixed-media illustrations depict the life and career of tennis great Althea Gibson, the first African-American to win at Wimbledon. Hard times in Gibson's youth separated her from her family and moved her around, setting the stage for a troubled, rebellious childhood, one that turned around when a family friend recognized her athletic talent and directed her toward tennis. Deans clearly puts Gibson's career into its historical context, her discomfort with segregated buses leading to her determination to move beyond the black tennis world into the United States Lawn Tennis Association (now the USTA) and further. Gibson's missteps both academically and athletically receive mention, lending depth to the scale of her eventual victories. Steptoe Award-winner Brown uses perspective and color to amplify emotion, occasionally replicating Gibson's graceful form as she moves across the court and adding swirls of crayon to lend energy and movement to his compositions. Sunny yellow backgrounds accompany Gibson as she plays her way to victory over obstacles both social and personal, rounding out the portrait of this groundbreaking winner. The backmatter includes a brief author's note, time line, bibliography and websites. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-10) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Tennis star Althea Gibson, born to sharecroppers in South Carolina in 1927, grew up in Harlem and became a bit of a wild child, sometimes skipping school. Channeling her restless energy into sports, Gibson became a champion in the local African American tennis league before travelling south for more training and education. As an adult, she triumphed in the French Championships, at Wimbledon, and at Forest Hills. Deans clearly lays out Gibson's story, from the discrimination she faced as a black woman in mid-twentieth century America to the highlights of her tennis career. Brown's mixed-media collage illustrations bring the story to life, expressing on one double-page spread the jubilation of a tennis win and, on another, the wry sadness Gibson feels sitting in the back of a North Carolina bus. Graceful, cut-paper collage figures are at the heart of the illustrations, which often include freewheeling patterns in the backgrounds. This visually dynamic picture-book biography concludes with a chronology and short lists of recommended books and Internet sites.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2007 Booklist
