When Grandma Gatewood Took a Hike

September 1, 2016

K-Gr 4-A true story about legendary hiker Emma Gatewood ("Grandma Gatewood"), who solo hiked the entire Appalachian Trail at the age of 67 in 1955. Readers will learn a bit about Gatewood's early life, but the text is almost entirely dedicated to her later years and her decision to take on the more than 2,000-mile-long hike. The illustrations depict the tough situations and friendly encounters she experienced. Scenes such as her bold encounter with a bobcat are fun to contrast with those of her sitting contentedly in an armchair at home. In an afterword, readers learn she tackled the Appalachian Trail a second time, walked 2,000 miles from Missouri to Oregon, and guided hikers in her home state of Ohio. A photo of Gatewood circa 1955 appears in the back. VERDICT This tale of grit and determination is recommended for libraries in the Appalachian region, supplemental for other geographic areas.-Maggie Chase, Boise State University, ID

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 15, 2016
A tribute to the first woman to hike the entire Appalachian Trail in one go.Houts milks the tale for its inspirational value. The industrious mother of 11 and an inveterate walker, 67-year-old Emma Gatewood reads a magazine story about men who had taken the 2,000-mile hike and: " 'Hmmph, ' thought spunky old Emma. 'If a man can do it, so can I!' " Her first try, starting from Maine's Mount Katahdin, quickly ends in failure--her sturdy, no-nonsense white frame reduced, in Magnus' painted scene, to a picture of misery, covered in scratches and black fly welts. She hits her stride on the second try, going south to north through verdant woods and living comfortably off the land for nearly five months in 1955. "I did it. I said I'd do it, and I've done it!" (Just for good measure, she went on to do it twice more.) Aside from a pair of farm children who greet her along the way and one face in a crowd scene, everyone in the illustrations is white. The author leaves out the not-always-pleasant details of Gatewood's private life (covered, for older audiences, in Ben Montgomery's Grandma Gatewood's Walk, 2014) but adds more about her later treks, plus a photo, at the end, then closes by inviting readers to "think of Grandma Gatewood as you set your sights on your own goals. No matter what mountains might stand in your way." She didn't like people passing her on the trail, the author notes, but readers could do worse than follow behind. (source note) (Picture book/biography. 6-8)

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August 1, 2016
Grades K-3 Felled by fiendish Maine black flies in her first attempt to hike the 2,000-mile Appalachian Trail in 1954 (she got lost, broke her glasses, and was urged by park rangers to call it quits), 66-year-old Emma Rowena Gatewoodan Ohio grandmother and mother of 11decided to start over at the southern end in Georgia. The next spring, sporting high-tops and shouldering a hand-sewn denim sack in lieu of a backpack, she made it all the way to Mount Katahdin, becoming the first woman to thru-hike this challenging terrain. Doing her best to ignore the media circus celebrating her feat, she not only hiked the AT again in 1957 (setting an any-gender record), she tackledand conqueredthe equally grueling Oregon Trail. The illustrations don't hold back, and some, particularly those depicting the bug bites, could frighten younger readers. The author also missed an opportunity in skirting Gatewood's history as a victim of domestic abuse. Despite this, it's an inspiring story, imparting the notion that an action as basic as walking for pleasure could result in a feat for the record books.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)