BOOK NAME: WILMA UNLIMITED
AUTHOR: KATHLEEN KRULL
ILLUSTRATOR: DAVID DIAZ
PAGES: 44
PUBLISHER: SCHOLASTIC
AGE RECOMMENDED: 4+
Wilma Unlimited is a powerful book that portrays a strong young girl named Wilma Rudolph. Her life story is so inspiring and it will make everyone admire her willpower more.
Wilma, an African-American, was born underweight and sickly. She contracted polio at a young age and spent her childhood in a steel brace. There was no cure for polio earlier and she was forced to sit in a corner due to her crippled leg. She loved to play basketball, but because of her inability, she was left behind. This didn’t let down her willpower—so she practised walking using the braces and she didn’t mind if it hurts also. One Sunday morning when she was 12, she started walking and that was the last time she used her braces. During the time she was left behind, she watched all the basketball moves carefully and that helped her to join her school team. She led the school team and her coach trained her to be an athlete, too. She joined Tennessee State University through a scholarship and she was the first person in her family to join a college.
Wilma was selected to participate in the Olympics and when she reached Rome she twisted her ankle. But that setback didn’t let Wilma down and she was the first female athlete to win three gold medals for the USA in the Olympics.
A picture book that portrays the struggles of an African-American woman, the hardships she faced due to the polio attack and how her determination and hard work paved the way to success. I enjoyed this read so much and the illustrator did such wonderful work in portraying each life picture of Wilma.
The message through this biography says no matter what mountains you have in front of you, if you have faith and determination, you can succeed to meet your goals in life.
A must-have book in your home library and a great book for read-aloud for everyone.
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