Jesse Owens

By Author / Illustrator

Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, Anna Katharina Jansen

Genre

Biographies & Autobiographies

Age range(s)

Publisher

Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd

ISBN

9780711245822

Format

Hardback

Published

02-06-2020

Synopsis

In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Jesse Owens, the great track and field star.

The youngest of ten children, Jesse grew up working in the cotton fields of Alabama. Discovered by his high school track and field coach, Jesse quickly rose to fame as an athlete. He went on the challenge racism on the world stage at the 1936 Berlin Olympics and made new world records. This moving book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the athlete and activist's life.

Little People, BIG DREAMS is a bestselling series of books and educational games that explore the lives of outstanding people, from designers and artists to scientists and activists. All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream.

This empowering series offers inspiring messages to children of all ages, in a range of formats. The board books are told in simple sentences, perfect for reading aloud to babies and toddlers. The hardback versions present expanded stories for beginning readers. Boxed gift sets allow you to collect a selection of the books by theme. Paper dolls, learning cards, matching games and other fun learning tools provide even more ways to make the lives of these role models accessible to children.

Inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world with Little People, BIG DREAMS!

Reviews

The Little People Big Dreams books are a great series full of inspiring stories of people who found success and changed the world in the process.

This book shares the life story of athlete Jesse Owens, who challenged racism at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, and is a good introduction to black rights and the civil struggles in America. The story tells of the adversity that Owens overcame and how, even at the height of his career, he was still treated unfairly because of the colour of his skin.

The pictures are simple and so is the text, it's written as a story but at the end there is a more detailed biography that gives more details about Owens' life.

32 pages / Ages 5-8 years / Reviewed by Lizi Backhouse, teacher