Traveling shoes The story of Willye White, US Olympian and long jump champion

Born in 1939 and raised in rural Mississippi by her grandparents, Willye B. White picked cotton, a job she hated, every summer to help support the family. As a 10-year-old, she joined the high-school track team and excelled. It was the beginning of a dream. At 16, she attended a summer training camp for Tennessee State University's Tigerbelles track-and-field team. Determined to travel the world, she set her sights on making the Olympic team, and in 1956, she won the silver medal for long jump in Melbourne. In 1972, she became the first American track-and-field athlete to compete in five Olympics. Travel broadened White's outlook, showing her how social norms elsewhere contrasted with those in segregated Mississippi. Each double-page spread opens with a quote from White, followed by several stanzas of free-verse text written from her viewpoint. Sometimes rather dreamlike, the illustrations are vividly colorful and well composed. Both art and text juxtapose significant experiences during White's athletic career with events taking place in the civil rights movement. An involving picture-book biography of a Black American athlete.

"Worn track shoes tell the story" of track and field Olympian Willye White (1939--2007) in a biographical picture book conveyed via a mix of direct quotations, poems, and images. Born in Mississippi, White was raised by her maternal grandparents, who had her pick cotton during the summers, and at age 10 she was coaxed by a cousin to try out for the high school track team. Engaging in relentless training, she subsequently became a trailblazer for Black and female athletes, competing internationally in a career that spanned three decades and included five Olympic Games. Piecing together White's early life through her 20-year track and field career, Duncan emphasizes a strong sense of self-confidence and determination ("Winning is not effortless./ Practice is required"). Mallett's realistic digital illustrations appear almost photographic in depicting White experiencing triumphs and setbacks throughout this inspirational story. A timeline and author's note conclude. Ages 7--10. (Oct.)

A glowing portrait of an African American track and field star who competed in five Olympics and was the first American female long jumper to medal. With the avowed intent of inspiring readers to "dream big, prepare to win, and keep their luggage packed," Duncan frames her well-traveled subject's long career as a free verse highlight reel--beginning at the "starting block" in Mississippi, where she was raised by her grandparents, since her birth parents were unwilling or unable to do so, and ending with reflections on her achievements: "When you succeed and give your all, / people will still forget. / The halls of fame include my name. / Remember my joy and shine." Along with glancing references to raised fists and terrorist acts, reminiscences of experiences at the Olympics and other games during the 1960s and '70s are interspersed with direct motivational quotes: "People are always trying to take away my smile, but it's mine and they can't have it." Indeed, that smile shines out both in a photo of White with Wilma Rudolph and other team members at the end and in Mallett's luminous depictions of a red-haired, brown-skinned "Wild Child" racing right past older contestants at a high school tryout, taking a blurred "jump at the sun" in Mexico City, and landing triumphantly in a shower of sand in the 1963 Pan American Games against a background of Civil Rights--era protest banners. Shines a light on a worthy role model in need of fresh recognition. (the making of Willye B. White, author's note, bibliography, timeline, photo credit) (Picture-book biography. 7-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.