This book was pretty good, it was not my favorite though. It's very informational, which makes it a book that needs to be read. It also teaches you to never give up on yourself no matter how you are treated. ( )

In this biography of Alice Coachman, author Lang did an amazing job at depicting Coachman's career/life. What captured my attention the most was how Lang stated at the beginning of the book that people did not want to shake Coachman's hand because she was black. That drew my attention in, and I am sure that it could capture children's attention as well. Lang focuses this biography on Coachman's life and career in running track and sprinting, and it is truly inspiring. ( )

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.

Queen of the Track: Alice Coachman, Olympic High-Jump Champion , written by Heather Lang and illustrated in warm tones by Floyd Cooper, is for a slightly older audience than most picture books. For example, here is how the author talks about Alice’s childhood:

"In Albany, Georgia, like most of the South, black people didn’t have the same rights as white people. Most white people wouldn’t even shake hands with a black person. Blacks couldn’t sit where they wanted on buses, and they weren’t allowed in many public places. There were no gyms, parks, and tracks where Alice could practice running and jumping. She didn’t let that stop her. She ran barefoot on dirt roads. She collected sticks and tied rags together to make her own high jumps. Alice jumped so high, she soared like a bird above the cotton fields.”

This book ends with the 1948 Olympics, and also features good supplementary material.

Evaluation: The book has lovely illustrations and is very well written. ( )

I think this is my favorite picture biography I've read in this class so far. Everything is so detailed and paints a clear picture of Alice Coachman's journey. It showed us her inspiration, her struggles, and determination to get her gold medal. The youth can take much away from how Coachman was the first African-American woman to ever win an Olympic gold medal. I thought the book was fine and wouldn't really change anything about it. ( )

This book is worth a read! I loved every second reading. It was a longer picture book but with little text on each page. Fun and easy read. The theme of this story was to never give up. I really enjoyed how the author took us way back to when Alice was just a little girl picking cotton all the way to winning a GOLD medal. Not only did she win a gold medal but she was the first African American to win a Gold Medal at the olympics. The author does a great job with details describing her lifestyle because back then whites and blacks couldn't be around one another Her hard work and dedication is what allowed her dreams to come true. ( )