Alice Coachman was the first African American woman to win a gold medal at the Olympics, when she won the high jump (setting a new record) in 1948 at age 24.

Touch the Sky: Alice Coachman, Olympic High Jumper, written by Ann Malaspina and richly illustrated by Eric Velasquez with oil paintings, is for younger readers. Pictures of Alice running through the fields near her house are accompanied with rhythmic simple lines:

"Alice Coachman raced
down the dirt road,
bare feet flying,
long legs spinning,
braids flapping
in the wind…."

Still, the text does not shy away from the obstacles Alice faced:

"Fields shut.
Tracks shut.
Doors shut
to girls like Alice."

But Ann Malaspina does not paint a depressing picture. Instead, she focuses on Alice’s hard work, talent, and the good times Alice had, such as this accounting of life on her high school track team:

"Traveling wasn’t easy for the Golden Tigeretts.
Whites-only restaurants shut.
Restrooms shut
to girls like them.
They ate supper on the roadside.
After dark, they hurried on.

Together, the team held strong.
Laughing. Teasing. Having fun.
When they got to the meets,
all that mattered was
sprinting,
throwing,
running,
jumping.
No one jumped higher than Alice.
National champion.
Shining star."

The story ends after the 1948 Olympics, when “Alice had finally touched the sky.”

In the Afterword, there are terrific pictures of Alice and her teammates, an Author’s Note, and a Bibliography. ( )

Tells the story of Alice Coachman, who was the first black woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal for the high jump. It tells her story and how she got into the sport, the challenges she faces as an African American, and how she pushes herself to greatness. ( )

Exceptional! This is a well-told, beautifully illustrated biographic poem. The author did a wonderful job conveying the world around Alice - from her father to societal norms - without allowing them to overtake the story. The stanza repetition is just right and shows the passage of time in a new context as Alice's experiences grow.

Pros: Readers will enjoy this uniquely told, beautifully illustrated biography of an American champion. When they finish reading, they'll invariably ask Why haven't I heard of Alice Chapman?

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This book is a wonderful book for young readers. One reason I liked it was because of the language used. It wasn’t too wordy but it was fun to read and kept me engaged. For example, “Stretching her long legs, Alice sucked on a sour lemon. The lemon made her feel lightning-fast, feather-light, moon-jumping strong.” Another reason why I liked this book was that even though it was a non-fiction book, the reader wouldn’t even know because it’s told in a story form. Young readers might be turned off by non-fiction books because they may think they’re boring but since this book is in a story form it doesn’t come off as boring to the reader. I would say the main idea of this book is perseverance and to follow your dreams. ( )