  | Splash! : Ethelda Bleibtrey makes waves of change Author: Boxer, Elisa | |
| Price: $22.58 | ||
Summary:
As a child with polio in the early 1900s, swimming set Ethelda Bleibtrey free. The water released her from her pain and helped her build strong muscle--and a powerful spirit. From then on, from the New York beaches to the 1920 Olympics, Ethelda made a splash wherever she went.
| Illustrator: | Baddeley, Elizabeth |
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: LG Reading Level: 2.90 Points: .5 Quiz: 519042 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (06/15/22)
School Library Journal (08/01/22)
Booklist (07/01/22)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 08/01/2022 Gr 2–4—This inspirational picture book biography shares the life journey of the Olympic swimming gold medalist and polio survivor who challenged social norms and fought for equality for women. In 1917, Ethelda Bleibtrey was a teenage girl with polio growing up in New York City, feeling exhaustive pain and weakness in her arms and legs. Doctor-recommended swimming gave her an exhilarating sense of freedom that she had never known. As she grew older, swimming became the means through which Bleibtrey pursued issues surround women's equality. She thought it was unfair that women had to swim with knee socks while men swam with bare legs, so she followed suit and was arrested for it. As the news spread, women began to remove their own socks, and eventually the police gave up trying to keep track of infractions of the antiquated rule. Bleibtrey then built a career in competitive swimming and blew through previous records. Baddeley's artwork fuels the narrative and gives structure to the book, depicting a woman with fierce determination and pluck; the art impressively interprets water as expressive, using its dynamism and reflective qualities almost as another character to expand what readers know about Bleibtrey herself. VERDICT With illustrations and text fully grounded in research, including welcome historical details and photographs that appear in the back matter, this book is heartily recommended for elementary nonfiction collections.—Lauren Younger - Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Booklist - 07/01/2022 A child with polio, Ethelda Bleibtrey enjoyed the freedom of movement that she found only in a swimming pool. As a teenager in 1919, she defied an ordinance requiring women to wear socks when in the ocean. Her arrest led to the end of an outdated law. The following year, she swam on the U.S. Olympic team and broke the record in each event, becoming the first American woman to win a gold medal in swimming and the first woman ever to earn first-place finishes in every swimming event. In adulthood, she worked as a nurse while promoting greater access to public swimming pools and teaching many children to enjoy swimming. The back matter fills in additional biographical details. Baddeley’s colorful illustrations create an upbeat tone, and the underwater scenes are particularly effective. Showing respect for the line between fact and storytelling, the straightforward narrative delivers information about Bleibtrey’s life while distinguishing the occasional fictionalized words or comments with italics or by placement within speech balloons. This picture-book biography celebrates a little-known American athlete. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.
Booklist - 07/01/2022 - Copyright 2022 Booklist.
