Swimming

April 1, 2012

Gr 5-9-Similar to Sue Macy's Swifter, Higher, Stronger: A Photographic History of the Summer Olympics (National Geographic, 2004), each volume in this series starts with a brief introduction to the Games, followed by chapters that that profile men and women who have made a difference in the featured sport. Readers learn about past and present legends, such as Soviet Union gymnast Larissa Latynina (1956, 1960, 1964), Brazilian basketball player Oscar Schmidt (1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996), and American swimmer Michael Phelps (2008). The volumes also reveal the darker side of Olympic history: the intentional or unintentional use of steroids, questions of whether athletes truly met the qualifying minimum age, etc. While most of the profiles focus on U.S. athletes, there is representation from other nations. The time lines at the top of the pages are helpful, and the large photographs, clean design, and captions enhance the texts. Engaging and nicely organized.-

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