Muhammad Ali: A Champion Is Born

Before reading this picture book the only thing I knew about Muhammad Ali was that he was a well-known boxer. I now know that his legal name was Cassius Clay and he changed his name at the age of 22 when he converted to Islam. I also learned that Muhammad Ali means “worthy of praise – most high”. After understanding the meaning of the name, it left me with conflicting thoughts. The book says that he was considered the best boxer, “the greatest” boxer. Even though he was the best, the name he chose for himself disturbs me. In my opinion that name should only be reserved for God. He was raising himself to the same level as God. For me, the book did not start off very well. I will say that the illustrations were done very well, show more and I liked the way each page has the date of the event. I also liked how the author included quotes from Muhammad Ali throughout the book. The book was well written and did a good job with the accuracy and organization of the biography. show less

I enjoyed how the book started with his greatest accomplishment of being the first person to win the world heavyweight championship three times. I absolutely loved how the transition from his championship to his childhood. First, they used dark illustrations to resemble his championship. Then, in little words, amongst the darkness, it says, "And he owed it all to a stolen bicycle." I thought that it was awesome that the gym he was training at had white people and black people. The author didn't even have to say it because the illustrator included in the drawings. I had no idea that his actual name was Cassius Clay. I also had no idea that he won the Olympics in Rome. The illustrations in this book were absolutely beautiful.

I have learned about the late great Muhammad Ali and his accomplishments as an adult but never the background on how or why he chose the boxing profession. After reading the first two pages I wasn’t sure the book was about his life leading up to his boxing career because it was about two major fights. I could literally imagine each scene as I was reading. The illustrations were very detailed especially when he was in the gym. The author did a great job on the major events that help to make Muhammad Ali who he is.

The pictures and text offer an engaging and enjoyable description of Muhammad Ali's history. The art demonstrates the passion and excitement of the situations, and the dialogue helps immerse you into the story.

Boxer, advocate, champion. This biography tells the story of one of the most recognized athletes in the world. Growing up he knew experienced segregation and racism, and through a chance encounter met a policeman who taught him to box. He changed the style of a game and became a world champion, all the time advocating for civil and religious rights in America and became a symbol of hope for many people. "His words of peace, pride, and human decency inspired people from all over the world." Beautiful oil illustrations.

Muhammad Ali was known by many nicknames. He received his name from boxing and his courage outside of boxing. Before reading this book I didn't know his name was Cassius Clay. Clay success began one day after his bike was stolen, it was his prized possession. Clay refused to let go of that bike without a fight, that was the day he discovered boxing in the basement gym. The author and wonderful illustrations delivered a clear picture of his great journey. Clay has left a great legacy behind. Before reading this book a lot of information about Ali wasn't clear to me. This was a very informative book.

I never really knew a whole lot about Muhammad Ali before reading this book. I liked that it told how he became interested in being a boxer, how it all started when he was a kid. That his name was Cassius Clay before he changed it. This story really showed all the hard work and perseverance he went through to become such an amazing athlete.