Synopses & Reviews
A Sac and Fox Indian, Jim Thorpe was born Wa-tho-huck ("Bright Path") in Oklahoma in 1888. His childhood was a mix of hard work on his familys ranch, wild days hunting and living rough in the outdoors, and a succession of dreary, military-strict "Indian Schools" that sought to impose white culture on Indian children. Jim hated them and frequently ran away, but it was at one such school, in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, that his life would change. Watching some student athletes practicing the high jump, Jim asked if he might try. Wearing overalls and a work shirt, he effortlessly cleared the bar on his first attempt—breaking the schools high jump record. He was drafted onto the track and football teams by the schools coach, Pop Warner, and went on to lead Carlisle to victories over the best college teams of the time. At the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, Thorpe won the five-event Pentathlon with a score that would never be beaten, and the even more grueling Decathlon with a score that stood for 20 years.
Review
“... a well-organized and visually appealing introduction ...”—
School Library Journal
“... the theme of youthful aimlessness transforming into fierce athletic resolve will draw many children to the book ...”—Booklist
Synopsis
Jim Thorpe's childhood was a mix of hard work in the outdoors and a succession of military-strict "Indian Schools" that relentlessly imposed white culture on Native American children. Then in 1907, wearing overalls and a work shirt, he effortlessly broke his school high-jump record--a feat that launched a remarkable athletic career in track, football, and baseball, culminating at the 1912 Olympics, where Thorpe won the decathlon with a world record score that would stand for almost 20 years and the pentathlon with a points total that would never be beaten.
Synopsis
The story of an authentic American hero: the Native-American athlete Jim Thorpe, who grew up from a dirt-poor childhood to captivate the world at the 1912 Olympic Games.
About the Author
Don Brown is the author and illustrator of more than a dozen picture-book biographies. His subjects have included explorers, scientists, astronauts, aviation pioneers, moviemakers, religious leaders, and many others. He lives with his family on Long Island, New York.