From the Publisher
Exhaustive and enlightening—don't miss it.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Rachel Ignotofsky’s delightful book renders the healthy pleasure of sports for girls and women in buoyant color and form—from Bloomer Girls to Skate Bettys, in calf length skirts or disguised as men—reminding us that no matter if you are nine or ninety-eight, the question to ask is, ‘What is my next victory?’”—Mina Samuels, author of Run Like a Girl
“This luminescent book tells the stories of women and girls who have not only excelled in athletics, but also often changed the world by doing so. I was agog at these lively biographies and dazzled by the accompanying illustrations that seem to cartwheel, swim, pole vault, and double flip off the page. This is a book for girls who want inspiration on the field, in the pool, or down the track. It’s also for girls who aren’t sporty at all, but love stories of courage, perseverance, sass, doggedness, and fun. And don’t forget the boys, who will be riveted by these rollicking tales and who need to see that girl power has been alive and well for many years and is alive and well today.”—Caroline Paul, author of The Gutsy Girl
“What an inspiring book! These beautifully drawn portraits cover the triumphs and troubles of fifty athletes—some you’ve heard of and many you haven’t. There’s a familiar pattern to these stories: A woman sets her mind on something, someone tells her it can’t be done, and she goes ahead and does it anyway, setting records along the way. You’ll cheer for these ladies, and for author Rachel Ignotofsky.”—Lisa Taggart, author of Women Who Win
School Library Journal - Audio
09/01/2019
Gr 7 Up—This book highlights the achievements of 50 women who have successfully broken the glass ceiling in the world of sports, including skydiving, basketball, tennis, swimming and diving, snowboarding, motocross, and roller derby. Athletes profiled include Billie Jean King, motocross rider Ashley Fiolek, and Ann Calvello, who was flashy and adventurous in the roller rink. These women are inspiring role models for all ages as many sacrificed and persevered through adverse conditions leading the way for those that follow them. The author narrates with perfect diction as her pride for the athletes shines through. VERDICT The content and narration are excellent, but the print version of the book is illustrated with bits of information decoratively placed around artistic images. These sidebars become lists heard by the listener, which can disrupt the flow of the book.—Karen Alexander, Lake Fenton High School, Linden, MI
School Library Journal
05/01/2017
Gr 4 Up—Utterly browsable and completely engaging, this collection of 50 female athletes offers up brief glimpses into the lives and careers of a relatively diverse group of women. Wandering far off the well-beaten path of familiar names (Billie Jean King, Wilma Rudolph, Mia Hamm), the book also highlights women who excelled (or currently excel) at less traditional activities, such as roller derby (Ann Calvello), archery (Kim Soo-Nyung), bodybuilding (Bev Francis), and refereeing (Violet Palmer). Ignotofsky clearly made every effort to scour the globe and include athletes from many different countries. Each spread profiles an individual and features a page-length description of background and career high points, a quote from the athlete, and a cheerful illustration captioned with additional facts. Organized chronologically by the athletes' birth year, this compendium, taken as a whole, is a captivating look at the history of women in sports, emphasizing that no individual athlete is more or less important than the next. Information about anatomy, pay inequalities between men and women, and other related topics can be found throughout. The writing is accessible to a wide range of readers, and the material is concise and orderly, often leaving readers wanting more. Fortunately, a thorough bibliography is appended, making it easy to dive deeper into the lives of some of these fascinating trailblazers. VERDICT This title is as edifying as it is entertaining; a timely addition to nonfiction collections.—Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA
Kirkus Reviews
2017-05-01
Following the format she introduced in Women in Science (2016), author/illustrator Ignotofsky now celebrates women who broke barriers to change the sports world. The collection represents a variety of figures from all over the globe born between 1881 and 1997, ranging from pioneering white figure skater Madge Syers and Tiny Broadwick, a white sky diver who advised the U.S. military on parachute safety during World War I, to beloved contemporaries such as white swimmer Katie Ledecky and black gymnast Simone Biles. Ignotofsky devotes one spread to each, with a brief profile on the recto and a stylized portrait containing inspirational quotes and facts on the verso. Readers will find stories that surprise and profoundly move them, for a number of these athletes not only battled societal challenges, but also personal hardship. African-American track star Wilma Rudolph overcame polio, segregation, and sexism. French-Canadian Chantal Petitclerc, paralyzed in youth, worked to set five Paralympic world records in wheelchair racing. Cricket player Mithali Raj risked familial displeasure to break records and traditional gender roles in India. Influential sports teams are also included, perhaps most notably the multicultural women of the 2016 Olympics' Refugee Team, whose stamina proved stunning—first in life-threatening conditions, then in the sports arena. The collection is rounded out by brief introductions to other women athletes and pieces on muscle anatomy and pay and media statistics. Exhaustive and enlightening—don't miss it. (timeline, conclusion, sources, index.) (Nonfiction. 10-14)
