Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman

Only after reading this book does the subtitle—``How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman''—appear rife with understatement. In spite of a low birth weight and childhood bouts with scarlet fever and polio (the doctor said Wilma would never walk again) and after years of painful, relentless exercise, she not only walked, she ran: to college on scholarship, and to the Olympics, where she became the first American woman to win three gold medals in the same games. Krull (Lives of the Artists, 1995, etc.) tells the inspiring tale in rolling, oratorical prose; Diaz, coming off his Caldecott-winning work for Eve Bunting's Smoky Night (1994) again lays stylized painted scenes over textured background photos—here, sepia-toned show more close-ups of fences, ivy, and bare footprints in loose dirt. Though a mannered, blotchy typeface (also Diaz's creation) gives the pages an overly designed look, the book as a whole is a dramatic commemoration of quite a heroic life. Rudolph died in 1994; her post-Olympic accomplishments are described in an afterword. (Picture book/biography. 6-9) show less

Only after reading this book does the subtitle—``How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman''—appear rife with understatement. In spite of a low birth weight and childhood bouts with scarlet fever and polio (the doctor said Wilma would never walk again) and after years of painful, relentless exercise, she not only walked, she ran: to college on scholarship, and to the Olympics, where she became the first American woman to win three gold medals in the same games. Krull (Lives of the Artists, 1995, etc.) tells the inspiring tale in rolling, oratorical prose; Diaz, coming off his Caldecott-winning work for Eve Bunting's Smoky Night (1994) again lays stylized painted scenes over textured background photos—here, sepia-toned show more close-ups of fences, ivy, and bare footprints in loose dirt. Though a mannered, blotchy typeface (also Diaz's creation) gives the pages an overly designed look, the book as a whole is a dramatic commemoration of quite a heroic life. Rudolph died in 1994; her post-Olympic accomplishments are described in an afterword. (Picture book/biography. 6-9) show less

This is a highly inspirational book and an incredible story (one of those stories where if you didn't know that it was in fact a true story you wouldn't believe anyone could overcome so many obstacles.)
From being a premature baby, to sickly youth, to polio-stricken child denied access to school and dealing with racism, to finally being a triple Gold-medal winner in the Olympics (with a swollen ankle), well, you get the idea.
The illustrations are rich and colorful and dynamic. And I like the clever way that body copy was place over images reflective of the text on that page (a visual of the finish line when talking of winning an event, or a visual of a large wheel when discussing traveling miles to get to a hospital that accepted show more Blacks).
I recommend this book, although I couldn't help visualizing Forest Gump breaking free of his polio braces and racing down the country road. "Run, Wilma, run!" show less

When I first picked up this book, I was unsure of whether or not I would like it because it was a biography. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the book for 3 reasons. First, the plot of the story was very uplifting as you got to the end. The story is about Wilma Rudolph, and Olympic medalist who had polio has a child. The inspirational plot shows Wilma evolve and defeat every obstacle that stood in her way growing up. Another reason I really enjoyed this story was because it pushes readers to think about experiences that they may have never thought of before. For example, students may not be familiar with polio, disabilities, or any of the adversity that Wilma is faced with. The tough issues that the book addresses are even more realistic show more to students when they realize that the book is a biography and therefore a true story. The final reason that I enjoyed this book was because of the descriptive and engaging language. The author of this book continuously made the book come to life through the use of descriptive text. For example, one line says, “the sound of hymns coloring the air.” The illustrations in the book were very abstract and different, which I think is why I was hesitant to read it. However, I am glad that I decided to read this book considering how great it was! show less

This is one of the most inspiring stories I've ever read- and it's all true! This is a great book to read to students during Black History month, during a biography study, during a women's history study, or just anytime. Although there is a generous amount of text, it flows very well- like a storybook. The illustrations are vivid and compelling, especially the photographic "frame" images that surround each illustration. Wilma Rudolph herself is an inspiration to us all. I feel like I could use this book to teach lessons for a month-- the themes here can be tied to so many topics and the book is easy on the ears while being jam-packed full of facts.

Author Kathleen Krull has the ability to capture her audience and intertwine them into the story of Wilma. Readers experience a winding road of emotions as Wilma deals with the challenges of living with polio. Her survival and ability to thrive is even more impressive being in the 1940s, where limited health care benefits and medical cures were available. Excitement and energy bounces from page to page. Anticipation haunted me until the very end of Wilma’s roller coaster of experiences. Illustrator, David Diaz, had the ability to pair his action-packed illustrations perfectly with the text. As exhilarating as this text may be, it is also contains meaningful themes; racism, sexism, and prejudice of people with disabilities.

Life for a child weighing just 4 pounds at birth, being 19th (eventually out of 22 siblings) in her family and contracting polio at age 5 was sure to be 'limited' ... but is this the story of Wilma Rudolph, who overcame prejudice, loss and countless other obstacles to lead a most 'unlimited' life.

After combating polio, doctors to told her and her mother that she might never walk again without use of a clunky metal brace to support her left leg, which had turned inward. Wilma did painful exercises daily and endured all kinds of teasing and bullying at school but with the support of her family and her own sheer determination, Wilma gained the use of leg again ... eventually becoming a star basketball and track athlete ... becoming the show more first in her family to attend college.

Her running skills took her all the way to the 1960 Olympics in Rome, where again, her chances of winning were 'limited' ... yet she persevered again, winning 3 gold medals, each in a very dramatic fashion. Wilma's life story teaches us the only limits on our ability to achieve great things are those we set on ourselves. show less