Long-Armed Ludy and the First Women't Olympics by Jean Patrick-

Patrick, Jean L.S. Long-Armed Ludy and the First Women’s Olympics, Illustrated by Adam Gustavson. PICTURE BOOK. Charlesbridge, 2017. $17. 9781580895460

Lucille Godbold was six feet tall with very long, very strong arms. She was a powerful athlete and a devoted spectator. The time she was encouraged to try the shot put, she excelled and she loved it. She began to train hard and worked every muscle in her body. She worked so hard that she set a world record in the shot put and made it into an international meet called the Women’s Olympics. She didn’t think she could afford to go, but trained hard anyway. She was floored when she found out that students and teachers at her college were donating money so that she could go to the Women’s Olympics in France. She continued to train on the ship to France, as well as when she arrived. When she saw her competitors at the games, she was very nervous. All she could do was her very best to try to win for herself, her school, and her country.

The text and illustrations in this book are an outstanding pair. The story moves along at a wonderful pace for a biography picture book, sparing unnecessary details, but still giving a full idea of the life of Ludy. I was very engaged and I loved learning about a historical female figure that I hadn’t heard of before. There is more information and an author’s note included in the back of the book.

EL (K-3), EL- ESSENTIAL. Shay, School Librarian