Muhammad Ali: A Champion Is Born - Hardcover

Gene Barretta is an award-winning author and illustrator of children's books. He is the recipient of the Carolyn W. Field Award and the Bank Street Cook Prize Honor. His books include Lincoln and Kennedy: A Pair to Compare, Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin, Dear Deer: A Book of Homophones, and Muhammad Ali. Gene has contributed illustrations and animation to Sesame Street and Between the Lions. He has also designed characters for the Jim Henson Company. He lives in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. You can visit him online at www.genebarretta.com.

Frank Morrison is the award-winning illustrator of many books for young readers, including Jazzy Miz Mozetta by Brenda C. Roberts, winner of the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent; Katheryn Russell-Brown's Little Melba and Her Big Trombone, a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor book; and Gene Barretta's Muhammad Ali. Before becoming a children's book illustrator and fine artist, Morrison toured the globe as a break-dancer. He lives in Georgia with his family. You can visit him online at www.morrisongraphics.com.

K-Gr 2—A kid named Cassius Clay discovers boxing in this nonfiction picture book. Barretta sets the scene through Muhammad Ali's three record-setting heavyweight championship titles. Oversize comic book—style action words ("POW!") highlight Ali knocking out Sonny Liston, George Foreman, and Leon Spinks. Circling back to Ali's childhood, Barretta recounts the oft-cited origin story of 12-year-old Cassius riding high on his brand-new bike. Unfortunately, the bike disappears, and when Cassius reports the theft to police officer and boxing coach Joe Martin, threatening to "whup" the thief, Martin suggests that he first learn how to fight. Regular sessions at the gym develop in Cassius a single-minded determination to be the greatest boxer in the world. As he becomes a more public figure, his self-confidence never wavers, effectively illustrated by a few choice quotes, bold and set apart from the mostly invented dialogue. Morrison's dynamic oil paintings complement Barretta's lively text, capturing a self-assured Ali in detailed spreads. Action scenes full of movement and intensity draw readers into the boxing ring and depict Ali's growth from a gangly youth to a dominant athlete. Two pages of unfailingly positive biographical information fill in the rest of Ali's career. A brief bibliography and suggestions for additional reading are also appended, but no source notes are included. VERDICT This is an attractive choice as an inspirational read-aloud, but report writers will want to seek more nuanced and thorough sources.—Chelsea Couillard-Smith, Hennepin County Library, MN