Touch the Sky: Alice Coachman, Olympic High Jumper

By Ann Malaspina and Eric Velasquez

CCBC Choices 2013
2014-2015 Children's Crown Award
2013-2014 Macy's Multicultural Collection of Children's Literature
2015 Louisiana Readers' Choice Master List
A 2013 CBC/NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
2013 Amelia Bloomer list
2013 IRA-CBC Children's Choices
Best Children's Books of the Year 2013, Bank Street College

Tells how Alice Coachman, born poor in Georgia, became the first African American woman to win a gold medal at the Olympics.

Bare feet shouldn't fly. Long legs shouldn't spin. Braids shouldn't flap in the wind. 'Sit on the porch and be a lady,' Papa scolded Alice. In Alice's Georgia hometown, there was no track where an African-American girl could practice, so she made her own crossbar with sticks and rags. With the support of her coach, friends, and community, Alice started to win medals. Her dream to compete at the Olympics came true in 1948. This is an inspiring free-verse story of the first African-American woman to win an Olympic gold medal. Photos of Alice Coachman are also included.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
• Release date: Jan 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9780807580349

Ann Malaspina

Ann Malaspina has written many books for children, including Touch the Sky: Alice Coachman, Olympic High Jumper and Finding Lincoln. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and two sons.

Book preview

Reviews for Touch the Sky

[nbmars · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Alice Coachman was the first African American woman to win a gold medal at the Olympics, when she won the high jump (setting a new record) in 1948 at age 24.Touch the Sky: Alice Coachman, Olympic High Jumper, written by Ann Malaspina and richly illustrated by Eric Velasquez with oil paintings, is for younger readers. Pictures of Alice running through the fields near her house are accompanied with rhythmic simple lines:"Alice Coachman raceddown the dirt road,bare feet flying, long legs spinning,braids flappingin the wind…."Still, the text does not shy away from the obstacles Alice faced:"Fields shut.Tracks shut.Doors shutto girls like Alice."But Ann Malaspina does not paint a depressing picture. Instead, she focuses on Alice’s hard work, talent, and the good times Alice had, such as this accounting of life on her high school track team:"Traveling wasn’t easy for the Golden Tigeretts.Whites-only restaurants shut.Restrooms shutto girls like them.They ate supper on the roadside.After dark, they hurried on.Together, the team held strong.Laughing. Teasing. Having fun.When they got to the meets,all that mattered was sprinting, throwing, running, jumping.No one jumped higher than Alice.National champion.Shining star."The story ends after the 1948 Olympics, when “Alice had finally touched the sky.”In the Afterword, there are terrific pictures of Alice and her teammates, an Author’s Note, and a Bibliography.

[kmann63 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Tells the story of Alice Coachman, who was the first black woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal for the high jump. It tells her story and how she got into the sport, the challenges she faces as an African American, and how she pushes herself to greatness.

[david.endres · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is a wonderful book for young readers. One reason I liked it was because of the language used. It wasn’t too wordy but it was fun to read and kept me engaged. For example, “Stretching her long legs, Alice sucked on a sour lemon. The lemon made her feel lightning-fast, feather-light, moon-jumping strong.” Another reason why I liked this book was that even though it was a non-fiction book, the reader wouldn’t even know because it’s told in a story form. Young readers might be turned off by non-fiction books because they may think they’re boring but since this book is in a story form it doesn’t come off as boring to the reader. I would say the main idea of this book is perseverance and to follow your dreams.