Description
Discover the inspiring true story of extraordinary professional cyclist Major Taylor in this nonfiction picture book from Coretta Scott King Award winners Lesa Cline-Ransome and James E. Ransome.
In 1891, Marshall Taylor could ride his bike forward, backward, even perched on the handlebars. When his stunts landed him a job at the famous Indiana bike shop Hay and Willits, folks were amazed that a thirteen-year-old black boy could be such a crackerjack cyclist.
Little Marshall Taylor would use his dedication, undeniable talent, and daring speed to transform himself into Major Taylor, turning pro at the age of eighteen, winning the world championship title just three years later, and battling racism and the odds to become a true American hero.
Genres
Pages40
Released2012
LanguageEnglish
PublisherAtheneum Books for Young Readers
ISBN9781442481046
SellerSimon & Schuster
About the author(s)
Lesa Cline-Ransome is the author of numerous nonfiction and historical fiction titles for picture book, chapter book, middle grade, and young adult readers. Her One Big Open Sky was both a Coretta Scott King Honor book and a Newbery Honor book. Her picture books include Fighting with Love: The Legacy of John Lewis, Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams, and The Power of Her Pen: The Story of Groundbreaking Journalist Ethel L. Payne. Her verse biography of Harriet Tubman, Before She Was Harriet, was nominated for an NAACP Image Award and received a Jane Addams Children’s Book Honor, Christopher Award, and Coretta Scott King Honor for Illustration. Her debut middle grade novel, Finding Langston, won the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction and received the Coretta Scott King Award Author Honor. She lives in the Hudson Valley region of New York with her husband and frequent collaborator, James Ransome, and their family. Visit her at LesaClineRansome.com.
James E. Ransome’s Fighting with Love: The Legacy of John Lewis was called “a warm tribute” by Kirkus Reviews and “highly recommended” by School Library Journal, both in starred reviews. His highly acclaimed illustrations for Before She Was Harriet received the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor. His other award-winning titles include the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Honor Book The Bell Rang, Coretta Scott King Author Award Honor Book Uncle Jed’s Barbershop, Reading Rainbow Book Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, and Let My People Go, winner of the NAACP Image Award. James is also a recipient of the ALA Children’s Literature Legacy Award. He is on the faculty at the School of Visual Arts in the MFA Illustration Visual Essay program. James frequently collaborates with his wife, author Lesa Cline-Ransome. They live in New York’s Hudson Valley region with their family. Visit James at JamesRansome.com.
