"I am the greatest! I am the king!"
Muhammad Ali was one of the most electrifying, inspiring, and confrontational athletes of his generation. At the height of his boxing career, Ali was as despised as he was adored. Loud and aggressive as well as confident and dedicated, he was the quintessential showman, the undeniable champion of his sport, and one of the most recognizable faces in the world. He was challenged at every turn: faced with racial discrimination in his everyday life, mocked by the sports media as his career began, ridiculed for adopting a new religion, and stripped by the U.S. government of his very livelihood for refusing to go to war.
Muhammad Ali faced the obstacles in his life the way he faced his opponents in the ring, brashly and with all the force at his command. In his private life, he was also deeply spiritual, committed to standing up against social injustice, and steadfast in his beliefs. Featuring stunning illustrations and covering his entire life from childhood through his professional career to his end of life battle with Parkinson's Syndrome, this is a moving tribute to the legacy of this impressive figure.
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From the Publisher
"Haskins and Velasquez pay tribute to Muhammad Ali in this rather adoring yet noteworthy biography, which brings to light the boxing great's many types of triumphs...Velasquez does justice to the subject with his imaginatively conceived oil paintings; sometimes these approach a photographic crispness, sometimes they suggest Ali's inner victories and struggles. Informative and inspiring." - starred review, Publishers Weekly
"This book should find an immediate audience." - School Library Journal
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The Barnes & Noble Review
Author Jim Haskins and illustrator Eric Velasquez have put together an excellent picture-book biography honoring the man who strove to knock down racial and religious barriers while kayoing some of the greatest fighters of his time.
Champion takes readers through Muhammad Ali's entire life. Written in a clear and engaging manner, the book shows how the young Cassius Clay decided to take up boxing after his bike was stolen in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. Following the boxer's career from his gold-medal victory at the 1960 Summer Olympics to his surprise appearance at the '96 Games, Haskins provides a complete portrait filled with all the important events: the first world-championship fight with Sonny Liston in 1964, Ali's conversion from Christianity to Islam, his refusal to join the army during the Vietnam War, and his famous "Rumble in the Jungle" with George Foreman. The book also ends nicely with a chronology of Ali's life, along with a selected bibliography for adults and young readers.
Although this book is aimed at upper-elementary and middle-grade readers, it's suitable for anyone who wants to learn more about tolerance and understand the ability of a single person to make a difference in society. Velasquez's oil illustrations -- particularly the close-ups -- capture Ali's emotional expressions wonderfully, enhancing a vibrant tribute to this important figure. (Matt Warner)
Publishers Weekly
Haskins (The Story of Stevie Wonder) and Velasquez (Grandma's Records) pay tribute to Muhammad Ali in this rather adoring yet noteworthy biography, which brings to light the boxing great's many types of triumphs. The author knows how to interest kids, tracing the fighter's career to his 12th birthday, when the theft of his new bicycle made him want to find the thief and beat him up; as Haskins tells it, a policeman advised him "that he had better learn how to fight first" and offered the boy boxing lessons at his gym. The hero is not invulnerable: then known as Cassius Clay, he was so afraid of flying that he bought his own parachute and wore it during the flight to the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. Haskins recaps familiar highlights of Ali's life and career, including his decision to join the Nation of Islam (and his later embrace of world Islam); the loss of his title as world heavyweight champion when he refused, on religious grounds, to fight in the Vietnam War; his remarkable 1974 win over George Foreman to regain the crown; his experience with Parkinson's; and his surprise appearance as the final torch-bearer at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. A liberal sprinkling of Ali's famous rhymes provides additional insight into his personality. Velasquez does justice to the subject with his imaginatively conceived oil paintings; sometimes these approach a photographic crispness, sometimes they suggest Ali's inner victories and struggles. Informative and inspiring. Ages 6-10. (May) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Children's Literature
It's been said that during his prime, Ali was the most recognized person in the entire world. This beautifully written book will keep the boxer's legend alive for a new generation. It tells both the bitter and the sweet parts of Ali's life¾his segregated upbringing, the Olympic gold medal, the championships, the draft-evasion conviction that robbed him of his career for four years, and, sadly, the fact that the sport he loves has caused permanent brain damage and Parkinson's disease. Haskins supports the story with small, wonderful details, such as the fact that when Ali returned from the Olympics, his father had painted the front steps red, white and blue, and that when he first traveled by plane, he was so afraid that he brought along a parachute from the army surplus store. Velaszquez' oil illustrations are superb, depicting the ferocity of the boxer, the faith of the Muslim and the gentleness of the father holding his last child. The artist's final illustration, of the diminished Ali shakily holding the Olympic torch in Atlanta, captures the strength and dignity beneath the frozen Parkinson's mask. "Ali was as much a symbol himself as was the torch," the text on that page reads. "He was a symbol of strength and skill, of courage and pride." 2002, Walker & Company,
— Donna Freedman
School Library Journal
Gr 3-6 "The first boxer to win the heavyweight championship three times" is paid tribute in this easy-to-read biography in a picture-book format. Reflecting Ali's penchant for hyperbole, Haskins introduces his subject as larger than life. "No matter where he was, someone would know him. Someone would feed him. Someone would give him a place to sleep. He was probably the most famous person alive." That said, the author moves on to Ali's boyhood in racially segregated Louisville, KY, where, as Cassius Clay, he was introduced to boxing at the age of 12 and quickly demonstrated enormous talent. The boxer's rhyming boasts are highlighted in bold throughout the text. Haskins details Ali's decision to join the Nation of Islam, his refusal to join the army, and the negative impact these actions had on his reputation and career. The athlete's return to the ring in the 1970s, his retirement, and his struggle with Parkinson's Syndrome are also discussed. The book concludes with Ali's dramatic appearance at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, GA. Velasquez's fine oil portraits are worth noting as are his smaller illustrations, which capture the action in the ring like a series of photographic snapshots. Given Ali's recent return to the national scene, this book should find an immediate audience. -Alicia Eames, New York City Public Schools Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
On the heels of the film, a new picture-book biography of the boxing powerhouse accorded the title of "Athlete of the Century." Simple declarative sentences take the reader from Cassius Clay's youth in Louisville through his boxing career and conversion to the Nation of Islam, to his draft-dodging accusation, political activism, and subsequent comeback. This style becomes increasingly ponderous, and although Haskins (One Love, One Heart, not reviewed, etc.) includes some of Ali's boastful rhymes, they cannot lift this leaden text off the mat. Sentences such as, "Cassius got better and better at boxing. He was very fast. He had quick reflexes," do nothing to capture the essence of the athleticism and brilliance that made Ali the Greatest. There is also an unfortunate tendency to oversimplify highly complex situations; for example, Ali's legal victory is described thus: "Eventually the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, recognized Ali's devotion to his faith and ruled that he had been treated unfairly. American citizens have the right to refuse military service because of their religion." While the two statements are arguably true, they may lead young readers into believing that the decision in Ali's case was in some way precedent-setting, though it was most carefully written not to be. Velasquez's (Grandma's Records, 2001, etc.) lush oils dominate the page in monumental fashion. They frequently appear as montages or in sequences of stop-action frames, for a truly cinematic effect. While many are spectacular in themselves, when combined with the frequently worshipful text, the result is hagiography. Both the magnetic, complex subject and young readers deserve better. (Picturebook/biography. 6-10)
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