by Anne on August 24, 2010
Duke Kahanamoku, athlete
Aug. 24, 1890-Jan. 22, 1968
Duke’s Olympic Feet by Ellie Crowe (Island Heritage, 2002)
Duke Kahanamoku is known by many names: The Ambassador of Aloha, father of surfing, and Olympic swimmer. In this gloriously illustrated picture book biography, Kahanamoku’s challenges as an untrained swimmer who not only participated in the 1912 Olympics, but won a Gold Medal are recorded. Additionally, how Kahanamoku introduced surfing to Australia is chronicled.
Visit the Surfing Museum bio link for more information about Kahanamoku.
by Anne on August 17, 2010
Jorge Posada, athlete
Aug. 17, 1971-
Play Ball! by Jorge Posada with Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Raul Colon (Simon& Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, 2006)
Dreams can come true. New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada’s perseverance and hard work are captured in this story based on his childhood in Puerto Rico. Way cool–this book is also available in Spanish.
To learn more about Jorge Posada’s stats, visit Baseball-Reference.
by Anne on August 4, 2010
Maurice Richard, athlete
Aug. 4, 1921-May 27, 2000
Lives of the Athletes: Thrills, Spills (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt (Harcourt, 1997)
In just a few pages of this collective biography, Krull crams tons of data, descriptions and anecdotes about Canadian professional ice hockey player Maurice “Rocket” Richard’s life. Lively illustrations add humor and zip.
CBS Archives offer radio and TV clips of this famous NHL player.
Arthur Ashe, Jr., athlete
July 10, 1943-February 6, 1993
Lives of the Athletes: Thrill, Spills (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt (Harcourt, 1997)
An international tennis star, Ashe was first African-American to break into the white-dominated field of tennis.
Ashe’s career, photos, fast facts, awards and quotes are just some of the things you’ll find on the The Arthur Ashe Web Site.
