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Nadia: The Girl Who Couldn’t Sit Still
Nadia Comaneci was a feisty and fearless little girl who went from climbing trees in the forests of Romania to swinging into history at the 1976 Olympic Games, where she received an unprecedented seven perfect scores in gymnastics. But as readers will see in this first-ever illustrated picture book about Nadia’s journey to Olympic gold, the road from small-town girl to world-class athlete was full of many imperfect moments.
Expert illustrations that capture the energy and fluidity of Nadia's exuberant gymnastic routines and referential back matter round out this inspirational story of determination and overcoming adversity. A perfect 10.
Expert illustrations that capture the energy and fluidity of Nadia's exuberant gymnastic routines and referential back matter round out this inspirational story of determination and overcoming adversity. A perfect 10.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published June 7, 2016
7 people are currently reading
998 people want to read
About the author
Karlin Gray
6 books31 followersKarlin Gray is the author of the picture books NADIA: THE GIRL WHO COULDN’T SIT STILL , AN EXTRAORDINARY ORDINARY MOTH, SERENA: THE LITTLEST SISTER, and ANNE and HER TOWER OF GIRAFFES as well as the graphic novel MIA AND FRIENDS.
Visit her at karlingray.com.
Visit her at karlingray.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
November 8, 2021
Nadia: The Girl Who Couldn't Sit Still is a children's picture book written by Karlin Gray and illustrated by Christine Davenier. It presents the childhood of the sensational Romanian gymnast who, at age fourteen, won five medals at the 1976 Olympics.
Nadia Elena Comăneci Conner, known professionally as Nadia Comăneci, is a Romanian, retired gymnast and a five-time Olympic gold medalist, all in individual events.
Gray's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. The jaunty narrative takes readers from Comăneci's childhood through her first Olympics. Backmatter includes an afterward, timeline, quotation sources, selected bibliography, websites, two photographs. Davenier depicts a determined Comăneci swinging, balancing, and flipping, all while smiling as her ponytail flies out behind her in lively illustrations in ink, watercolor, and pencil.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. From climbing and toppling her Christmas tree as a child to becoming the first gymnast to earn a perfect score in any event, the feisty and fearless Comăneci overcame early defeats and channeled her boundless energy into a successful gymnastics career.
All in all, Nadia: The Girl Who Couldn't Sit Still is a respectful tribute to Comăneci's soaring achievements.
Nadia Elena Comăneci Conner, known professionally as Nadia Comăneci, is a Romanian, retired gymnast and a five-time Olympic gold medalist, all in individual events.
Gray's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. The jaunty narrative takes readers from Comăneci's childhood through her first Olympics. Backmatter includes an afterward, timeline, quotation sources, selected bibliography, websites, two photographs. Davenier depicts a determined Comăneci swinging, balancing, and flipping, all while smiling as her ponytail flies out behind her in lively illustrations in ink, watercolor, and pencil.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. From climbing and toppling her Christmas tree as a child to becoming the first gymnast to earn a perfect score in any event, the feisty and fearless Comăneci overcame early defeats and channeled her boundless energy into a successful gymnastics career.
All in all, Nadia: The Girl Who Couldn't Sit Still is a respectful tribute to Comăneci's soaring achievements.
August 3, 2021
Engaging picture book biography for young readers. I would have liked a bit more about Nadia's personality and unique talent -- what was it was that made her so truly outstanding at gymnastics? But, for the target audience, I think it's spot-on, covering her journey from a wild child who swung from tree branches and once climbed (and toppled) the family Christmas tree, to an Olympic champion and the first ever gymnast to earn a perfect score of 10. I appreciate that it shows that traits that may seem like a "negative" (her inability to sit still) can be channeled in positive ways with positive outcomes.
The Afterward is a brief but important read that tells about when Nadia defected from Romania and her difficult journey to cross the border. When they crossed into Hungary, guards recognized the famous gymnast and said she could stay but the others in the group would be sent back to Romania. Nadia refused, saying "We came together, we stay together." The guards eventually agreed.
Excellent back matter includes a timeline of Nadia's life, and Notes citing the quotes used in the story, as well as a Selected Bibliography and Websites for further research.
My children enjoyed this book. My five-year-old loved that her name is Nadia, as he loves chef Nadiya Hussain ;-)
The Afterward is a brief but important read that tells about when Nadia defected from Romania and her difficult journey to cross the border. When they crossed into Hungary, guards recognized the famous gymnast and said she could stay but the others in the group would be sent back to Romania. Nadia refused, saying "We came together, we stay together." The guards eventually agreed.
Excellent back matter includes a timeline of Nadia's life, and Notes citing the quotes used in the story, as well as a Selected Bibliography and Websites for further research.
My children enjoyed this book. My five-year-old loved that her name is Nadia, as he loves chef Nadiya Hussain ;-)
September 22, 2019
Growing up in the small Romanian town of Onești, Nadia Comaneci could not sit still. Always active, always full of energy, she was a handful. Then her mother enrolled her in gymnastics classes, and the rest (as they say) is history. The first Olympic gymnast to win a perfect 10, in the 1976 Montreal games, Comeneci became a sporting icon.
As a child in the United States, I was very much aware of Nadia Comaneci and her story, having watched a made-for-tv biographical film about her as a girl. It was this film that inspired me to become involved in gymnastics myself, although for me it was more a fun activity than a serious and/or competitive endeavour. I was very pleased to learn that there was a picture-book forthcoming about Comaneci, given my admiration for her as a girl, and found Nadia: The Girl Who Couldn't Sit Still an engaging read. The artwork was appealing as well, adeptly capturing a figure in constant motion. An informative afterword provides a timeline and source material. Recommended to young gymnastics enthusiasts, and to anyone looking for engaging sports biographies for young children.
As a child in the United States, I was very much aware of Nadia Comaneci and her story, having watched a made-for-tv biographical film about her as a girl. It was this film that inspired me to become involved in gymnastics myself, although for me it was more a fun activity than a serious and/or competitive endeavour. I was very pleased to learn that there was a picture-book forthcoming about Comaneci, given my admiration for her as a girl, and found Nadia: The Girl Who Couldn't Sit Still an engaging read. The artwork was appealing as well, adeptly capturing a figure in constant motion. An informative afterword provides a timeline and source material. Recommended to young gymnastics enthusiasts, and to anyone looking for engaging sports biographies for young children.
August 18, 2017
An interesting biography about the famous gymnast Nadia Comaneci. Fun and lively illustrations accompany the text that shows Nadia's determination to improve and her impressive seven perfect scores in the 1976 Olympic Games. I was left wanting more.
There could be plenty of curriculum tie-ins/collaborative conversations about this book.
*perseverance/determination
*overcoming adversity
*turning a weakness into a strength
*her defection from Romania/communism and the history of her homeland
There could be plenty of curriculum tie-ins/collaborative conversations about this book.
*perseverance/determination
*overcoming adversity
*turning a weakness into a strength
*her defection from Romania/communism and the history of her homeland
July 28, 2021
This is a nice picture book about the Romanian gymnast who was the first to get a perfect 10 score at the Olympics. My kids really enjoyed the story and the illustrations.
March 28, 2019
I've had lots of opportunities to visit our local libraries lately, and I've been reading quite a few picture books, especially ones about women, since it's Women's History Month. I saw this book displayed and knew I just had to read it.
I must admit that I learned quite a bit about Nadia Comaneci from reading this picture book, even though I was fairly aware of her career in gymnastics. I was five years old when the Montreal Olympics were held and I am pretty sure that our family watched them.
I did not remember that she had accomplished such marvelous Olympic feats at only fourteen. I also did not remember that the scoreboard was not calibrated to allow for a 10.0 score, something no one had earned before. Seeing a score of 1.0 must have been quite a shock to her (at least the first time).
The narrative is engaging, and it's not too long, so the book is appropriate for younger children. I appreciate that the author added an Afterword, a Selected Bibliography, and some websites that give the reader additional information about Ms. Comaneci's life and her accomplishments.
I really liked the illustrations, which were created using Ecoline and Clorex ink and colored pencil on Keaykolour paper. We were familiar with Christine Davenier's illustrations from her work with Kimberly Willis Holt on the Piper Reed series as well as her work with Elissa Haden Guest on the Iris and Walter series.
I must admit that I learned quite a bit about Nadia Comaneci from reading this picture book, even though I was fairly aware of her career in gymnastics. I was five years old when the Montreal Olympics were held and I am pretty sure that our family watched them.
I did not remember that she had accomplished such marvelous Olympic feats at only fourteen. I also did not remember that the scoreboard was not calibrated to allow for a 10.0 score, something no one had earned before. Seeing a score of 1.0 must have been quite a shock to her (at least the first time).
The narrative is engaging, and it's not too long, so the book is appropriate for younger children. I appreciate that the author added an Afterword, a Selected Bibliography, and some websites that give the reader additional information about Ms. Comaneci's life and her accomplishments.
I really liked the illustrations, which were created using Ecoline and Clorex ink and colored pencil on Keaykolour paper. We were familiar with Christine Davenier's illustrations from her work with Kimberly Willis Holt on the Piper Reed series as well as her work with Elissa Haden Guest on the Iris and Walter series.
June 16, 2020
Nice picture book about Nadia Comăneci whom I remember when I was a kid, winning perfect 10s at the Olympics. Her did describe her as a child who had trouble sitting still. She becomes a young member of the Romanian Olympic team and an Olympic star at 14. A very nice book, especially with many young girls interested in gymnastics right now. Nice memories for me!
January 10, 2020
What a great book to introduce kids to the wonderful Nadia! It has a good written story with cues that can launch discussions (such as the inclusion of the competition when we see Nadia failing but going forward nonetheless). The illustrations are clean and good in suggesting movement. The text has a nice flow and can keep you engaged.
November 26, 2016
A picture book bio of Nadia Comaneci, a young Romanian gymnast, who was the first ever Olympian to score a perfect 10 in gymnastics.
I think this will appeal to young readers because:
- it shows how she took her weakness (not being able to stay still) and made it her strength
- it shows when she failed miserably but did not give up
- good sportsmanship
- the buzz about gymnastics from this year's Olympics
Further areas for teachers/students to explore:
- the concept of defecting from a country and why
- Nadia's book Letters to a Young Gymnast (2003)
- using databases to find articles written about her at the time of her success (and photos)
- research about her now (she is still living and working in the US)
I think this will appeal to young readers because:
- it shows how she took her weakness (not being able to stay still) and made it her strength
- it shows when she failed miserably but did not give up
- good sportsmanship
- the buzz about gymnastics from this year's Olympics
Further areas for teachers/students to explore:
- the concept of defecting from a country and why
- Nadia's book Letters to a Young Gymnast (2003)
- using databases to find articles written about her at the time of her success (and photos)
- research about her now (she is still living and working in the US)
July 12, 2016
I hope everyone is buckled in for the Year of Simone Biles - but in the meantime, let's celebrate the first gymnastics superstar: Nadia Comeneci, who in 1976 earned the first ever perfect scores at the Montreal Olympics. She was everywhere - on every magazine cover, in the toy stores, Robin Williams did an impression of her, heck they even changed the name of the theme to The Young and the Restless to "Nadia's Theme". That piano! Those swelling strings! She was like a tiny steel toy that wound up and flipped and blew us all away.
October 11, 2016
Light look at Nadia's childhood to Olympic days. Interestingly presented biography with whimsical illustrations. I like how the author weaves a theme of perseverance and shows why Nadia was an important athlete.
June 27, 2016
Great illustrations.
June 14, 2018
Read this review with photos of the book and its contents here:
https://readersforlife.blog/2018/05/1...
Nadia Comaneci stunned the world at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games when she scored seven perfect tens in gymnastics. Not only was she the first gymnast to ever score a perfect ten, she was also the youngest gold medalist in gymnastics at only 14 years old.
Her incredible feats at the Olympic Games made her world famous. She returned home to Romania (at the time under Soviet Communist rule) to be greeted by the president as a national hero. Nadia continued to compete and win world class competitions until she defected to Hungary in 1989.
Who is Nadia Comaneci and could her story inspire young, keen gymnasts today?
Karlin Gray’s book, “Nadia The Girl Who Couldn’t Sit Still” has done a superb job of telling Nadia’s life to boys and girls 4-8 years old.
The narrative opens with Nadia swinging from a tree branch. She is a fearless girl who loves to move, and has so much energy, so her mother signs her up for gymnastics. Eventually she ends up under the tutelage of Bela and Marta Karolyi who train her all the way to the Olympics. We then get a wonderful glimpse of her amazing performance at the 1976 Olympics and how everyone was confused because the scoreboards displayed her score as ‘1.00’ (the lowest). The scoreboards could only display 9.99 as the highest score! Finally we end with a celebration of Nadia’s success and her triumphant return home. The book ends there, but the “afterward” details her defection to Hungary in 1989, and gives a full timeline of her life to 2003.
The story is creative in the way it shares Nadia’s success, but also some of her failures. You get a glimpse of a girl who is dedicated, works hard to succeed, and is able to get up and keep trying when she fails. There is also good sportsmanship on display, when the Russian gymnasts personally congratulate her for her medals.
I love the illustrations by Christine Davenier. Nadia couldn’t stop moving and neither do the pictures! They are full of movement and bounce. I am particularly impressed that Nadia’s actual steps on the bar and beam are illustrated carefully.
The ratio of text to image is excellent. The pictures fill the page, but the narrative has not been scaled back for the sake of imagery. Gary’s narrative is well written, builds drama and doesn’t speak down to her young audience.
I highly recommend this book for boys and girls ages up to 8 years old. It is hardcover, full colour and 40 pages long. It is slightly wider than an A4 paper.
ISBN: 9780544319608
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, USA, 2016
https://readersforlife.blog/2018/05/1...
Nadia Comaneci stunned the world at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games when she scored seven perfect tens in gymnastics. Not only was she the first gymnast to ever score a perfect ten, she was also the youngest gold medalist in gymnastics at only 14 years old.
Her incredible feats at the Olympic Games made her world famous. She returned home to Romania (at the time under Soviet Communist rule) to be greeted by the president as a national hero. Nadia continued to compete and win world class competitions until she defected to Hungary in 1989.
Who is Nadia Comaneci and could her story inspire young, keen gymnasts today?
Karlin Gray’s book, “Nadia The Girl Who Couldn’t Sit Still” has done a superb job of telling Nadia’s life to boys and girls 4-8 years old.
The narrative opens with Nadia swinging from a tree branch. She is a fearless girl who loves to move, and has so much energy, so her mother signs her up for gymnastics. Eventually she ends up under the tutelage of Bela and Marta Karolyi who train her all the way to the Olympics. We then get a wonderful glimpse of her amazing performance at the 1976 Olympics and how everyone was confused because the scoreboards displayed her score as ‘1.00’ (the lowest). The scoreboards could only display 9.99 as the highest score! Finally we end with a celebration of Nadia’s success and her triumphant return home. The book ends there, but the “afterward” details her defection to Hungary in 1989, and gives a full timeline of her life to 2003.
The story is creative in the way it shares Nadia’s success, but also some of her failures. You get a glimpse of a girl who is dedicated, works hard to succeed, and is able to get up and keep trying when she fails. There is also good sportsmanship on display, when the Russian gymnasts personally congratulate her for her medals.
I love the illustrations by Christine Davenier. Nadia couldn’t stop moving and neither do the pictures! They are full of movement and bounce. I am particularly impressed that Nadia’s actual steps on the bar and beam are illustrated carefully.
The ratio of text to image is excellent. The pictures fill the page, but the narrative has not been scaled back for the sake of imagery. Gary’s narrative is well written, builds drama and doesn’t speak down to her young audience.
I highly recommend this book for boys and girls ages up to 8 years old. It is hardcover, full colour and 40 pages long. It is slightly wider than an A4 paper.
ISBN: 9780544319608
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, USA, 2016
September 12, 2018
My kids and I have read this book over and over since getting it from the library and we all love it. Gray's succinct yet descriptive and exciting writing is perfect for telling this story to young audiences and Davenier's whimsical illustrations put life and movement into the words on the page. Being a former gymnastics coach, I enthusiastically showed three of my children (ages 4, 7, 9) the videos of Comaneci's perfect 10s in Montreal after reading the book, and even now with the heightened difficulty of today's gymnastics, her routines are breathtaking. I've never done a study of Comaneci's life as an adult, but now I am thoroughly interested!
July 15, 2022
I have a grandson who also can’t sit still and he loved the action in this picture book biography, both in Christine Davenier’s illustrations and Karlin Gray’s text. He also, like Nadia, goes to gymnastics to have a place for all that energy, a place to jump, swing, and run. And like Nadia, he gets into scrapes and tumbles.
Kids will enjoy the very accessible description of Nadia’s early life in Romania and the path that took her to the 1976 Olympics, where the scoreboards hadn’t been programmed to accept the perfect 10s she earned—in 7 events!
Important themes come through without preachiness: remaining determined in the face of disappointment; persevering through embarrassing small failures to reach bigger goals; mastering a new skill with practice, a little at a time.
Highly recommended for school and home libraries.
Kids will enjoy the very accessible description of Nadia’s early life in Romania and the path that took her to the 1976 Olympics, where the scoreboards hadn’t been programmed to accept the perfect 10s she earned—in 7 events!
Important themes come through without preachiness: remaining determined in the face of disappointment; persevering through embarrassing small failures to reach bigger goals; mastering a new skill with practice, a little at a time.
Highly recommended for school and home libraries.
Read
June 17, 2017Narrative:
Just by looking at the title, what do you think this book might be about? (Have the rest of the book covered by paper with just the title showing.) Let's take a look at the whole cover. Now what do you think? Does the picture change your idea? Have you ever gotten in trouble for not being able to sit still? (Students give answers.) Well, the title of the book tells us that Nadia has hard time with that, too. Let's see what happens to her.
Opening Moves:
*Prompt predictions based on the title
*Invite personal connections
Rationale:
I selected this book because of the title. I was hoping to find something to reach those students who just can't sit still, no matter how hard they try. I was very pleasantly surprised that this book does hit on that topic, but also has messages of perseverance and hard work. This book could lead nicely into various classroom activities in either PE or social studies. This book highlights an athlete, which is different from the characters in the other books that I selected. I feel that this set of four books is a good start on my goal of introducing more diversity into my library setting.
Source:
Fountas, I. C., & Pinnell, G. S. (2006). Teaching for comprehending and fluency: Thinking, talking, and writing about reading, K-8. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Publishing.
Just by looking at the title, what do you think this book might be about? (Have the rest of the book covered by paper with just the title showing.) Let's take a look at the whole cover. Now what do you think? Does the picture change your idea? Have you ever gotten in trouble for not being able to sit still? (Students give answers.) Well, the title of the book tells us that Nadia has hard time with that, too. Let's see what happens to her.
Opening Moves:
*Prompt predictions based on the title
*Invite personal connections
Rationale:
I selected this book because of the title. I was hoping to find something to reach those students who just can't sit still, no matter how hard they try. I was very pleasantly surprised that this book does hit on that topic, but also has messages of perseverance and hard work. This book could lead nicely into various classroom activities in either PE or social studies. This book highlights an athlete, which is different from the characters in the other books that I selected. I feel that this set of four books is a good start on my goal of introducing more diversity into my library setting.
Source:
Fountas, I. C., & Pinnell, G. S. (2006). Teaching for comprehending and fluency: Thinking, talking, and writing about reading, K-8. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Publishing.
October 23, 2019
After reading "Nadia: The Girl Who Couldn't Sit Still, I quickly knew that I have found a new favorite. When I was younger, I was a gymnast and always wanted to find books about gymnastics. However, I found that there were a few books about this topic. After finding this book, I wish I would have discovered it when I was little. Another aspect of this book that I liked is that even though Nadia fell at the Junior Championship games, she continued to practice.
January 19, 2020
I thought this book was great. And my 2.5 year old loves it, even though she's never shown any real interest in gymnastics. We read it every night for a week and then looked up Nadia's routines on youtube. Great story of a kid doing something out of the ordinary and persevering through some challenges as she first learned how to do gymnastics. Nadia as a lovable kid full of energy and pragmatism really jumped off the pages
January 19, 2020
Nadia is the inspiring, true story of a girl who learned to use her energy to become a successful gymnast. The story encourages young girls to pursue their passions. It also emphasizes the importance of pushing past failure and continuing to work hard toward goals.
This is could be used as a research source in the the primary and early intermediate grades. It could also be used for read alone time for the same ages.
This is could be used as a research source in the the primary and early intermediate grades. It could also be used for read alone time for the same ages.
September 8, 2020
Copyright Date: 2016
Genre: Biography
Theme: Hard Work, Determination, Perseverance, Teamwork
My favorite part is when Nadia persevered and didn't give up when she didn't do well at the competition. She went from 13th place to finishing in 1st place because of all her hard work and determination. I will use this book in my classroom to teach children to never give up on their hopes and dreams and to always keep working hard.
Genre: Biography
Theme: Hard Work, Determination, Perseverance, Teamwork
My favorite part is when Nadia persevered and didn't give up when she didn't do well at the competition. She went from 13th place to finishing in 1st place because of all her hard work and determination. I will use this book in my classroom to teach children to never give up on their hopes and dreams and to always keep working hard.
June 8, 2017
I really liked this picture book biography about the famous gymnast Nadia Comaneci. I enjoyed the history and the fun way the author made the gymnast more relatable to young readers. I would definitely add this to my biography read alouds, especially during the Olympics or during gymnast events that are televised.
October 6, 2017
This book is about the famous gymnast Nadia Comaneci and her triump, resulting in her winning 7 gold medals in the Olympics. Nadia is a great role model and her story can inspire young girls to follow their dreams and to work hard at what they love in life. The illustrations are simple yet great at setting the mood for the story- inspirational and motivational.
July 16, 2022
The story of Nadia Comaneci, the little girl from a small town, and her journey to her historic, unprecedented success as the world's top gymnast is light, engaging and fun! The highly accessible text and well matched illustrations are well paced, providing enough background to relate this role model's hard work and dedication, and has a lovely balance of fact and fun. A story worth sitting still for! Kudos to writer Karlin Gray and illustrator Christine Davenier.
November 29, 2017
This book is a great book for children. Even though kids often have a lot of energy the book showed that you can make lots of use of that energy like how Nadia became a really good gymnast out of it.
September 26, 2018
This book is an autobiography that I think would work well for 2nd or 3rd grade. An interesting feature of this book is the use of an ADHD character in literature. Nadia is a great role model for many children!
January 9, 2019
Fun illustrations and super simple biography of Nadia Comaneci, the first gymnast to earn a perfect 10 in an Olympic event. This is too much for my preschoolers, but would be a fun book to use to talk about perseverance and bravery with elementary age kids.
June 9, 2020
I remember watching Nadia at the Olympics. It didn't matter where she was from we were all rooting for her. The first perfect 10, the second! It was an amazing time in history. This picture book will bring back memories for the parents and introduce the kids to a remarkable athlete.
December 24, 2020
Women / girl bios are the best. And yay lots of girls also can’t sit still!
This one had fitting illustrations and told Nadia’s story and big accomplishment with a clear sweet arc. I would use it in the classroom.
This one had fitting illustrations and told Nadia’s story and big accomplishment with a clear sweet arc. I would use it in the classroom.
April 24, 2017
Biography. I loved how this book depicted Nadia simply as a girl who couldn't sit still. It humanized and normalized her. I also loved how this book depicted Nadia's successes and failures. It inspired me to go and watch the perfect 10 routine. She was good!
May 30, 2017
A lovely picture book biography about Nadia Comaneci, the first woman to get a perfect 10 at the Olympics in gymnastics.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews