Here is a story of Alice Coachman, the first African-American woman to win an Olympic gold medal.
When Alice Coachman was a girl, most White people wouldn't even shake her hand. Yet when the King of England placed an Olympic medal around her neck in 1948, he extended his hand to Alice in congratulations. Standing on a podium in London's Wembley Stadium, Alice was a long way from the fields of Georgia where she ran barefoot as a child. With a record-breaking leap, she had become the first African-American woman to win an Olympic gold medal. This inspirational picture book is perfect to celebrate Women's History Month or to share any day of the year.
Heather Lang loves researching and writing children’s books that celebrate our natural world and biographies about determined people who overcome extraordinary obstacles to follow their passions.
Her award-winning titles include Queen of the Track: Alice Coachman, Olympic High-Jump Champion; Fearless Flyer: Ruth Law and Her Flying Machine; and The Leaf Detective: How Margaret Lowman Uncovered Secrets in the Rainforest—an NSTA/CBC Best STEM Book and Green Earth Book Award winner. She is also the coauthor of the Animal Heroes series, the first of which, Supermoms!, was a Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year.
To research her books, Heather has observed wildlife in the Serengeti and Madagascar, explored the treetops of the Amazon rainforest, and gone scuba diving with sharks.
Her new middle-grade nonfiction book, For the Love of Animals: How Twelve Conservationists Turned Passion into Action, features inspiring wildlife champions from around the world.
Heather lives in Lexington, MA. Learn more about her books and discover lots of activities and resources at heatherlangbooks.com.
