Muhammad Ali

December 24, 2007
With biblical references and a reverential tone, this lyrical story of Muhammad Ali paints the fighter (and the history of African-American boxers) in mythic proportions: “In the beginning
was Jack Johnson.” A subsequent spread features posters of Joe Louis and Sonny Liston, but the grand introduction is saved for Ali, shown running in the rain by night: “And the heavens opened up,/ and there appeared a great man/ descending on a cloud, jump-roping/ into the Kingdom of Boxing./ And he was called Cassius Clay
.” Roca's (Twenty-One Elephants and Still Standing
) strikingly realistic oil illustrations pack a powerful punch, and his use of light recalls Edward Hopper. He also captures subtle and overt emotions in facial gestures—Ali exudes braggadocio before his match with Liston, and in another scene, white reporters' faces register skepticism at his boasts. Winter's (Diego
) cadenced, non-rhyming verse highlights just a few episodes from Ali's career and glorifies him as a king and near-miraculous savior, rather than emphasizing hard work on his part, but the result is no less inspiring (“Muhammad Ali was a new kind of boxer—/ and a new kind of person./ And he was creating a new way/ for African Americans to be”). Alongside the veneration is the subtle message that children, too, can achieve all that they imagine. Ages 4-8.

January 1, 2008
Gr 2-5-Winter and Roca offer a rousing tribute to Ali's spirit, determination, and strength of will in this picture-book biography. With strong, declarative language laced with religious phrases, it portrays Ali as "a kind of prophetlarger than life, larger than just a sports hero." Briefly limning the champions who preceded himJack Johnson, Joe Louis, and Sonny Listonthe author announces Ali's arrival with theatrical bombast: "And the heavens opened up, /and there appeared a great man/descending on a cloud, jump-roping/into the Kingdom of Boxing." Ali proved triumphant in the boxing ring and forged a bold path: "TALKING and TALKING and TALKING and TALKING." Ali spoke out against racism; refused to fight in the Vietnam War; and boxed, danced, and talked his way to his greatest fight, 1974's "Rumble in the Jungle" versus George Foreman. Winter's highly charged prose is well matched by Roca's eye-catching oil paintings, which vividly capture Ali's proud, defiant character and detail the racism he encountered and the hero worship he inspired. This is not a comprehensive biography, but it does a fine job of introducing readers to Ali's life and legacy."Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 1, 2008
Muhammad Ali: Champion of the World begins not with Ali, but with Jack Johnson, the first African American heavyweight champion of the world, and then moves on to champions Joe Louis and Sonny Liston. All were great in the ring, but as Winter has God ask: Is that all there is to a boxer? It is not, of course. There appeared a great man descending on a cloud, jump-roping into the Kingdom of Boxing, and Ali is portrayed running alongside a fifties Cadillac in a driving rain. All of Alis considerablecharisma isvividly captured byRocas oil paintingswe see Ali both leading groups of people and facing off in the ring, and always he has that gleam in his eye that could be mischievous or turnmalignant. As it tells the story of Alis career, culminating with his triumph in the Rumble in the Jungle, this book skillfully introduces young readers not only to Alis career and life story but also to his significance. Muhammad Ali was a new kind of boxerand a new kind of person, the kind of African American who is proud, strong, willing to fight.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)