New Michael Phelps book for kids
There's a new children's book from the Michael Phelps/Alan Abrahamson team, whose No Limits chronicled the swimmer's record-shattering performance at the Beijing Olympics. Here's an excerpt from a review of How to Train With a T. Rex and Win 8 Gold Medals, a book that Sun sports reporter Kevin Van Valkenburg approached cynically:
"I wanted to make a bunch of jokes about a cartoon version of Phelps telling a cartoon Ms. California that everyone deserves the right to get married, and reminding kids that cell phone cameras will be confiscated every time he and his cartoon posse walk into a room. But the truth is - and maybe this is the result of having a kid of my own on the way - I kind of liked it. There isn't exactly a narrative there, and the inclusion of a Tyrannosaurus Rex makes very little sense, even in the illogical world of children's books. But it has a nice message and some cool illustrations by Ward Jenkins. ...
"The main lesson ... is that you need to work hard to achieve your dreams, but it's really a book about math. From 1998 to 2003, Phelps swam 60,000 meters a week, which amounts to 12,480 miles over six years. How does Phelps help kids understand how far that is? With a picture of him swimming to the North Pole and back, and then his coach telling him to do it again. And a picture of him swimming the length of the Great Wall of China three times.
"All this builds to the revelation that in Phelps' last individual race, the 100-meter butterfly, he won by one one-hundredth of a second. The length of a finger nail. It's a nice lesson to teach kids, that you can work ridiculously hard for a long time and accomplish your goals by the slimmest of margins.
"And as Phelps can attest, only the cynic who doesn't work hard enough would dare suggest that childhood fantasies can't become a reality."
Comments
Congrats Michael! (: I LOVE YOU!!
<333333333333333333
Posted by: M | June 25, 2009 8:45 AM
When is will he be doing book signings?? May I suggest the Children's Bookstore in Roland Park???
Posted by: Pamela | August 5, 2009 8:50 AM
He is killed trying to save a little girl from being crushed by a falling cart from one of the rides. He then finds himself in heaven and he begins a journey, meeting five people from his life on earth. This is not a journey as we would imagine it, like a holiday vacation. It is more like a transference from one spiritual place to another, with flashbacks of Eddie's life replayed along the way.
Posted by: fiction book for children | January 20, 2011 11:28 AM
Great Michael Pelps... He is not only a champion for swimming but also a champion for the kids. Continue to do a good job Michael. I'm one of your avid fans.
Posted by: book for children | January 23, 2011 10:18 AM