The Girl Who Ran: Bobbi Gibb, the First Woman to Run the Boston Marathon

by Christina Yee, Susanna Chapman (Illustrator), Frances Poletti

In 1966, the world believed it was impossible for a woman to run the Boston Marathon. Bobbi Gibb was determined to prove them wrong. She said she would do it, she wasn’t a liar; she’d show them by running like the wind in the fire.

Genres: Picture Books, Biography, Sports, Nonfiction, Childrens, History, Womens

48 pages, Hardcover

First published June 13, 2017

Reviews

[Elizabeth☮ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The true story of the first woman to run the Boston Marathon - Bobbi Gibb. She ran it in 1966 which seems incredibly late in the history of women to me. But, I guess that’s important for me to know as I need to continue to appreciate the opportunities available to me and my daughters.

The illustrations are nicely drawn and are quite vivid.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was impressed with this inspiring story of a woman who didn’t listen to anyone who told her she couldn’t run a marathon. The simple story-telling style and the beautiful illustrations makes this the perfect book for young girls.

[Earl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This picture book will elicit a couple of WTF moments.

WTF #1: Were females really not allowed to run the Boston Marathon because of their sex? In 1966? Fortunately, someone set out to prove them wrong. Go, Gibb!

(It's incredible to think about how relatively recent some of these victories are. I guess in a way it's hard to wrap your mind around new ideas when you've been raised to think otherwise for most of your life. It gets hardwired into your brain. But that's no excuse to accept out of date and harmful beliefs.)

WTF #2: What does "like the wind in the fire" even mean? I hadn't heard of the phrase before and when I first encountered it here I immediately checked if I missed any pages. Was there a literal fire? Did the meadow where she ran suddenly get engulfed in flames? The phrasing annoyed me.

A timeline is included at the back. And, there's a nice illustration if you remove the dustjacket.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific book!

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent picture book biography about the first woman to run in the Boston Marathon who was warned, was given an explanation; nevertheless, she persisted.

[Gary Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Girl Who Ran is a persistence story. In 1966 Bobbi Gibb became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon. As a little girl, Bobbi liked to run. Her friends did too, until they lost interest. Bobbi kept running. As an adult, she wanted to run in the Boston Marathon, but her application was denied because of her gender. So, Bobbi covered up her long hair, jumped out of the bushes, and ran the marathon anyway. We all need stories like this.

The images of Bobbi and other people in this picture book biography effectively show the emotions involved in each page spread, but when Bobbi is running, she is trailed by fiery streaks of red, orange, and yellow. Similarly, the primary narrative text is straightforward, but there are moments in the story when words burst across the top of the page. When Bobbi’s running is in flow, rhyming couplets appear in italics. I like how these various touches move Bobbi’s true story into something a little bigger than mere reality.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know how I managed to miss this picture book last year, but after reading another one about Bobbi Gibb, I wanted to take a look at this one. It's terrific, and well worth a read. I even love the book's title, which refers to a feat that many considered women incapable of--running long distance. Even the opening pages hint at what often happens as girls who loved to run and move stop doing so in favor of quieter, more "ladylike" pursuits. Bobbi begins training for the Boston Marathon against her parents' wishes and against the social norms that existed in 1966. When race organizers rejected her application, she still found a way to race, in the process "hearts and minds were forever changed" (unpaged). The illustrations are colorful, surrounded by ample white space, but also on certain pages, she is surrounded by all the doubting words from her parents or from other naysayers, a technique that somehow thrusts readers into Bobbi's world and her dilemma. My favorite page shows her as she faces the last part of the grueling race and imagines she's running in the mountains where the earth is soft against her aching feet. Back matter includes a timeline of the Boston Marathon and additional information about this groundbreaking female athlete. This book is a great choice for a collection of groundbreaking individuals as well as a feminist text set.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poletti, Frances and Kristina Yee The Girl Who Ran: Bobbi Gibbs, the First Woman to Run the Boston Marathon. PICTURE BOOK. Compendium, 2017 $17.

Bobbi Gibbs loved to run. She didn’t train with a coach, she didn’t belong to any team ever. She just loved to run. In a time when races for women couldn’t be over 1.5 miles, long distances were her thing. So she decided one day just to try the Boston Marathon. She tried to enter officially, but she was turned down. So instead, she hid in the bushes besides the start and joined the pack - not to prove a point, not to break a barrier – just because of her love of running.

Poletti and Chapman, along with illustrator Susanna Chapman combine words and pictures that exude Gibbs’ love for running into a simple book about a woman breaking a significant barrier – not to prove a point or make a scene. Its unthinkable for girls nowadays to think that athleticism would make a woman less womanly. Gibbs is a role model in many ways with her quiet persistence and leadership without fuss.

EL, MS – ESSENTIAL. Cindy, Library Teacher
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...

[raccoon reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone needs to read this to their children, neices, nephews, etc. This was recommended for girls online and I thought, oh then boys need to definitely read it. The story of Bobbi Gibb is so beautifully illustrated that I dare you not to tear up. My son was so confused by why the girl wasn't allowed to run, and his confusion and concern allowed us to open up so many important and powerful conversations during the reading. Oh my heart. Go. Go Now and get this book from your library! If they don't have it, please demand they buy it! And celebrate the challenges women have faced claiming their place at the table.

[Kelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Biography
Recommended grades: 2-5

Unique Feature: The illustrations in this book are absolutely amazing. They look like they were done as watercolor and are remarkable. Also, when Bobbi's family and friends and society is saying things to and about her, their words are sort of written all over the page and surrounding her. It's hard to explain, but they're more a part of the pictures rather than the text written and that's a cool text feature to show kids.

[MaryLibrarianOH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone had to be first, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon, and Bobbi was her name. Inspiring story about not giving up or taking no for an answer. About the courage woman have always had to say no and not stop when they're told women can't. Oh yes, they can!

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fabulouos book telling the true story of Bobbi Gibb, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon, and showing all girls you can overcome adversity if you put your mind to it.

[Eija]

Love the movement in the illustrations— they’re wonderful

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning illustrations complement this triumphant true story of Bobbi Gibb, the first woman to complete the Boston Marathon.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book with wonderful illustrations of the first woman to run the Boston Marathon

[stillme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring for girls, runners, and anyone determined to succeed.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the way this story was written and illustrated. Powerful message about believing in oneself and defying those who say your dreams are impossible. Great story to read with my girls who need more examples of other women who 'believed they could so they did'

[Carrie Norris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations and well-written picture book. Reading this makes me want to read more about Bobbi Gibb and Kathrine Switzer's experience.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great children's picture book telling the story of Bobbi Gibb, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon! Beautifully told and beautifully illustrated, with a little surprise fold out!

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful picture book tells the inspirational true story of Bobbi Gibb, who overcame the odds to become the first woman to run the Boston Marathon. Authors Frances Poletti and Kristina Yee describe Gibb's struggles appropriately for the audience, from the lack of support from her own family to the pain of the rejection letter, as well as her courage and persistence in overcoming them. Susanna Chapman's beautiful pen and watercolor illustrations are a real standout. Every page is full of lively gesture drawings that perfectly capture Gibb's motion and energy as she runs. The line of color that follows Gibb across most of the pages is a brilliant artistic choice that enhances the mood of the story. When Gibb is feeling discouraged, the line gathers behind her in aimless circles, gray as a stormcloud. But when she's running, it streams out behind her in a banner of red, orange, and yellow, perfectly echoing the repeated line "like the wind in the fire." Possibly my favorite page is the one where Gibb finally dare to throw off her sweatshirt and reveal her true identity. The pure joy and liberation in her face and pose are nothing short of uplifting. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has ever been made to feel like they weren't good enough to follow their dreams.

[Brenda Kahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this aloud to my sixth graders as part of our picture book biography unit. We talked about the unfortunate lack of back matter even though the authors alluded to Bobbi Gibbs' autobiography in the couplets at the bottom of many pages. (We read Girl Running first and Gibbs' autobiography was mentioned in the back matter. I was thrilled when students in each class made the connection.)

They were blown away by the dramatic gatefold.

[Cecelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The very first thing you notice about this picture book is the gorgeous cover art. The Girl Who Ran in large, white font, against a fiery watercolor background slanted crosswise on the dustjacket. And then you see the little picture of Bobbi Gibb at the bottom, running with her hair streaming behind her, echoing the colors above. If it gets you to pick up the book, the cover has done its job. In this case, I don’t see how anyone could resist it!

Frances Poletti and Kristina Yee's picture book, The Girl Who Ran: Bobbi Gibb, The First Woman to Run the Boston Marathon, illustrated by Susanna Chapman (who also created that gorgeous cover!) tells the story of Bobbi Gibb. Who is Bobbi Gibb? She is the first woman to run the Boston Marathon (the most famous marathon in America). Bobbi loved to run from a young age, and she ran, as the book repeats, “like the wind in the fire.” The book chronicles how attitudes toward her running changed as she grew up – she faced not only official rejection from race officials, but at home, from her family. But after secretly training and determining to race, Bobbi would not be dissuaded. And her mother changed her mind! So Bobbi ran, right into history. And her life, and the lives of others changed because of that.

On one hand you could characterize this picture book as an inspirational biography for younger readers. But really, it’s more than that. The prose is lyrical, and it’s accompanied by lovely art that will appeal to any reader, whether they prefer nonfiction or not. It also doesn’t hesitate to tell the story of familial disapproval and conflicts between traditional gendered expectations and personal aspirations – something that we can always use more of in books for younger kids.

As expected in a book about a runner, most of the page spreads show movement, and the illustrator portrays this with the swirls of watercolor “fire” so that you can see Bobbi’s path through the landscape. The art really shines, and in the final pages, at the marathon finish line, there’s a foldout spread that broadens the scope of the moment into something dramatic.

Another positive: at the end of the book there’s a concise 2-page spread with both a formal biography and a timeline showing Bobbi’s marathon runs, Boston Marathon milestones and women’s involvement. It would be a good starting point for a school project!

In all, The Girl Who Ran is a beautiful picture book that illustrates the value of persevering despite setbacks, or even the disbelief or opposition of your family.

Recommended for: readers ages 6-9 who are interested in nonfiction biographies, running, and people overcoming the odds, and folks any age who enjoy positive, inspirational stories.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Girl Who Ran: Bobbi Gibb, the First Women to Run the Boston Marathon is a children's picture book written by the team of Kristina Yee and Frances Poletti and illustrated by Susanna Chapman. It is a biographical picture book about Bobbi Gibb – the first woman to run in the Boston Marathon.

March, at least in my part of the world is Women's History Month, which I plan to read one children's book, particularly a biography, which pertains to the subject everyday this month. Therefore, I thought that this book would be apropos for today.

Roberta Louise "Bobbi" Gibb is the first woman to have run the entire Boston Marathon). She is recognized by the Boston Athletic Association as the pre-sanctioned era women’s winner in 1966, 1967, and 1968.

The text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Written in simple couplets, the narrative wonderfully describes Gibb and the obstacles she had to face. The backmatter includes a timeline with additional glimpses of Gibb's accomplishments on and off the track. Chapman's feathery watercolors are infused with a sense of motion: a fiery ribbon trails behind Gibbs as she races across the pages.

The premise of the book is rather straightforward. It is a tense and uplifting portrait of Bobbi Gibb, who snuck onto the course of the 1966 Boston Marathon and became the first woman to run the race. Gibbs's initial disappointment after being denied entry to the marathon is short-lived: disguised by a hooded sweatshirt, she sprints her way into history; a four-panel gatefold celebrates the moment she crosses the finish line.

All in all, The Girl Who Ran: Bobbi Gibb, the First Women to Run the Boston Marathon is a well-told and illustrated biographical biography as Gibb's story speaks to not only women's fight for equality, but the power of community.

[Steve Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This illustrated children's book is all at once an inspiring tribute to Bobbi Gibb, determined girls and women everywhere, the sport of distance running, and the Boston Marathon. Gibb was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon in 1966. She ran well too, faster than I've ever run a marathon. The text of this book is so-so. It captures the story just fine in brief, but can't decide if it wants to be rhyming poetry or sparse prose. The prose at least needs to be more lyrical to keep up.

The real gem of the book is Susanna Chapman's beautiful, whimsical illustration. Her sketch lines capture the wind and fire that are an important motif in the text and give a feel of breathless movement to the whole book. Two of the glories of the race are there too - the Wellesley women near the half, and the wide finish on Boylston. A delightful series of animals and wildlife dot the pages too, particularly when Bobbi is running by herself, showing that she is never alone. Really lovely.

A friend of Bobbi Gibb has told me that she loves this book herself, so consider that an endorsement from the book's subject!

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was only disappointed in this book because of my own naivety. I thought I was going to be picking up a chapter book, and it was an illustrated kids' book. It was fine though. I learned a lot. The only thing I did know before reading this book was that there IS a Boston Marathon every year, and that there had been a bombing at it a few years ago. I had never even thought about its history or that only men could run it at first, et cetera. The pictures and story were great, and it's a good starting place for someone who wants to go read even more and go even deeper into the story of this woman changemaker. I read this book as part of a Women's History Month challenge for a Beanstack thing. I read parts of it aloud to my son, who is always interested in learning random things about, well, random things. We both thought, "Oy, she ran it in her bathing suit?" From a teenage boy's perspective just assuming and from my grown-up female perspective, we both thought, "NOT comfortable!"

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of the first female Boston Marathon runner, Roberta Louise (Bobbi) Gibb, 1966. 6.

[6] Huebsch, Time (April 18, 2016). "Boston Marathon celebrates 50 years of female participation". Canadian Running Magazine. Retrieved June 6, 2020.

Seems to be some discrepancies….and it may be that the technicality comes from one being officially registered (and by initials, assumed male?) and the other not.

(In contrast, many sources seem to acknowledge Katherine Switzer, as the first in 1967–but evidently she has talented publicists?)

Either way, women were not allowed to compete back then. Interesting of note, due to my recent read of “The Woman They Could Not Silence”, was that many men believed women could only run approximately 1.5 miles —that to run farther would cause physical injury, and to desire more was “insane”.

Bobbi Gibb: https://daily.jstor.org/the-woman-who...

Katherine Switzer: https://kathrineswitzer.com/1967-bost...

[Chance Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspiring true story of the first woman to run the Boston Marathon. The illustrations are colorful. There's a little couplet that is repeated throughout that I found kind of annoying. They always end with "like the wind in the fire" as if that's a phrase people say, and they feel forced. Example: "She said she would do it, she wasn't a liar [note: comma splice!]; she'd show them by running like the wind in the fire."

The book does simplify reality, by acting as if Bobbi Gibb ran and BOOM, all was right with the world and women were allowed to run. But in a timeline at the end of the book, they do acknowledge Katherine Switzer, who was given marathon numbers but then was almost TACKLED on the course because men were afraid her uterus would fall out. There's a little illustration of a man lunging for her, but it's unexplained.

[Nella Eshbaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! For awhile now, I've been trying to find books that will empower the girls in my future classroom one day, and I will definitely have to include this one in my future classroom library.

This book is best suited for grade levels, 3rd through 5th grade. A unique feature of this book is towards the end. As Bobbi reaches the finish line at the Boston Marathon, the pages fold/unfold into a spread that shows Bobbi, the crowd of people cheering her on, and the finish line. The sole focus of this spread is Bobbi running to the finish line.

Genre: Nonfictional (A biography of Bobbi Gibb).

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy to read picture book bio of female runner Bobbi Gibb. Gibb was the first woman to break the no-women rule of the Boston Marathon. She entered illegally in 1966, after being rejected by the marathon committee.

The author's constant use of some form of the phrase "like the wind in the fire" was really distracting. Each phrase is written to rhyme. But the rest of the story doesn't rhyme. And the story is written in such a way that it means to be factual and easy to understand; not lyrical and in poetry form.

5 stars without the lyrical nonsense.

[YingYu Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is almost like a picture book with an astounding poem, theatrical effects, and inspiration. When I read this book to my 6-year-olds, I could see their eyes are glittering. They are truly moved by how Bobbi ran for nothing but a pursuit of passion and dedication.

The pictures are almost as poetic as the words, and the narrative along with the poem has a dynamic rhythm. The words still make sounds in my heart, like the girl who ran with the fire in the wind.

PS> My little audience really wanted to run too. Let's see if they can first pass the NE triathlon first. ;)