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Muhammad Ali: The People's Champion
This acclaimed picture book biography is a perfect introduction to the great Muhammad Ali. Reviewers praised this book as "powerful," "action-filled," and "dramatic." New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers explores Muhammad Ali’s life and recounts his most famous fights in this celebrated picture book biography. Text and art combine to highlight "the raw emotional impact of victory, loss, confrontation and peace.” (Kirkus) Myers examines the depth and complexity of the larger-than-life legend and heavyweight champion of the world, and the bold, vibrant art of Alix Delinois reflects the beauty and power of the man who could "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." This nonfiction picture book is a strong choice for sharing in the classroom or at home. Use it as an introduction to one of the most significant and celebrated sports figures in history.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published December 29, 2009
2 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Walter Dean Myers
232 books1,184 followerspseudonyms:
Stacie Williams
Stacie Johnson
Walter Dean Myers was born on August 12, 1937 in Martinsburg, West Virginia but moved to Harlem with his foster parents at age three. He was brought up and went to public school there. He attended Stuyvesant High School until the age of seventeen when he joined the army.
After serving four years in the army, he worked at various jobs and earned a BA from Empire State College. He wrote full time after 1977.
Walter wrote from childhood, first finding success in 1969 when he won the Council on Interracial Books for Children contest, which resulted in the publication of his first book for children, Where Does the Day Go?, by Parent's Magazine Press. He published over seventy books for children and young adults. He received many awards for his work in this field including the Coretta Scott King Award, five times. Two of his books were awarded Newbery Honors. He was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award and the Virginia Hamilton Award. For one of his books, Monster, he received the first Michael Printz Award for Young Adult literature awarded by the American Library Association. Monster and Autobiography of My Dead Brother were selected as National Book Award Finalists.
In addition to the publication of his books, Walter contributed to educational and literary publications. He visited schools to speak to children, teachers, librarians, and parents. For three years he led a writing workshop for children in a school in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Walter Dean Myers was married, had three grown children and lived in Jersey City, New Jersey. He died on July 1, 2014, following a brief illness. He was 76 years old.
Stacie Williams
Stacie Johnson
Walter Dean Myers was born on August 12, 1937 in Martinsburg, West Virginia but moved to Harlem with his foster parents at age three. He was brought up and went to public school there. He attended Stuyvesant High School until the age of seventeen when he joined the army.
After serving four years in the army, he worked at various jobs and earned a BA from Empire State College. He wrote full time after 1977.
Walter wrote from childhood, first finding success in 1969 when he won the Council on Interracial Books for Children contest, which resulted in the publication of his first book for children, Where Does the Day Go?, by Parent's Magazine Press. He published over seventy books for children and young adults. He received many awards for his work in this field including the Coretta Scott King Award, five times. Two of his books were awarded Newbery Honors. He was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award and the Virginia Hamilton Award. For one of his books, Monster, he received the first Michael Printz Award for Young Adult literature awarded by the American Library Association. Monster and Autobiography of My Dead Brother were selected as National Book Award Finalists.
In addition to the publication of his books, Walter contributed to educational and literary publications. He visited schools to speak to children, teachers, librarians, and parents. For three years he led a writing workshop for children in a school in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Walter Dean Myers was married, had three grown children and lived in Jersey City, New Jersey. He died on July 1, 2014, following a brief illness. He was 76 years old.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 17, 2021
3.5 stars
September 28, 2015
"The man who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life".
—Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali: The People's Champion is by necessity a very brief biography of the celebrated heavyweight boxing champion, but author Walter Dean Myers has still done an admirable job of hitting all of the major points in Ali's very public life. It's unavoidable that a lot of detail is going to be left out of the final product when the goal is to write a biography as a picture book, but this particular one doesn't give the impression that its story is being rushed, or that anything crucial in Muhammad Ali's life has been glossed over with a pat phrase or glib explanation.
I like the fact that Walter Dean Myers is fairly neutral on the subject of Muhammad Ali's greatness as a boxer. Many times people who know little about boxing automatically designate Ali as the greatest heavyweight fighter of all time without being properly familiar with the careers of all of the major contenders for that honor, but no such unfounded statements are made in this book. As it is, the only absolute statement made by the author that I personally disagree with is the assertion that "Ali was the most entertaining fighter in the history of the sport." I would mention Jack Johnson, Stanley Ketchel, Jimmy Wilde, Terry McGovern and Sugar Ray Robinson, at least, as all being more entertaining, but there's no denying that Muhammad Ali is one of the most accomplished pugilists in modern boxing history, and his spot among the greats will likely always be known and celebrated.
Muhammad Ali: The People's Champion is, of course, a very short bio, but I think that it would be an ideal introduction to the person of Ali for students in grade school. It's an informative and interesting book, and I liked reading it.
—Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali: The People's Champion is by necessity a very brief biography of the celebrated heavyweight boxing champion, but author Walter Dean Myers has still done an admirable job of hitting all of the major points in Ali's very public life. It's unavoidable that a lot of detail is going to be left out of the final product when the goal is to write a biography as a picture book, but this particular one doesn't give the impression that its story is being rushed, or that anything crucial in Muhammad Ali's life has been glossed over with a pat phrase or glib explanation.
I like the fact that Walter Dean Myers is fairly neutral on the subject of Muhammad Ali's greatness as a boxer. Many times people who know little about boxing automatically designate Ali as the greatest heavyweight fighter of all time without being properly familiar with the careers of all of the major contenders for that honor, but no such unfounded statements are made in this book. As it is, the only absolute statement made by the author that I personally disagree with is the assertion that "Ali was the most entertaining fighter in the history of the sport." I would mention Jack Johnson, Stanley Ketchel, Jimmy Wilde, Terry McGovern and Sugar Ray Robinson, at least, as all being more entertaining, but there's no denying that Muhammad Ali is one of the most accomplished pugilists in modern boxing history, and his spot among the greats will likely always be known and celebrated.
Muhammad Ali: The People's Champion is, of course, a very short bio, but I think that it would be an ideal introduction to the person of Ali for students in grade school. It's an informative and interesting book, and I liked reading it.
December 3, 2019
Muhammad Ali's story is more than just about boxing. It is about civil rights, religion, the Vietnam War, and Parkinson's disease.
Muhammad Ali was a nontraditional boxer and a person that beat his own drum. Walter Dean Myers makes sure to include many different quotes throughout to show the reader not only his personality but how others perceived him.
I loved the illustrations in this book. They were true pieces of artwork. Very colorful, bold and beautiful. I did feel that sometimes the artist focused more on the political issues for his illustrations instead of Muhammad's story. For example, there is a page where Muhammad was winning championships and there is one line about black people not being able to get into places and the illustration is of picketers and police with attack dogs. It just didn't seem to fit. I that the art and prose had connected more without, but I don't think it takes away too much from the book.
I am not quite interested in reading Myers's biography about Muhammad Ali because I know that there is much more to learn.
Muhammad Ali was a nontraditional boxer and a person that beat his own drum. Walter Dean Myers makes sure to include many different quotes throughout to show the reader not only his personality but how others perceived him.
I loved the illustrations in this book. They were true pieces of artwork. Very colorful, bold and beautiful. I did feel that sometimes the artist focused more on the political issues for his illustrations instead of Muhammad's story. For example, there is a page where Muhammad was winning championships and there is one line about black people not being able to get into places and the illustration is of picketers and police with attack dogs. It just didn't seem to fit. I that the art and prose had connected more without, but I don't think it takes away too much from the book.
I am not quite interested in reading Myers's biography about Muhammad Ali because I know that there is much more to learn.
February 1, 2010
Myers does a good job here for the most part, but the illustrations by Alix Delinois, while boldly colorful and quite beautiful, don't always match up too well with the text. At times this is okay, but at other times, like on the page with pictures of Civil Rights marchers holding picket signs and police with attack dogs, it's a problem... the text on that page includes one small sentence about Ali not being to go into certain buildings because of his race, but the other six sentences are completely unrelated.
April 29, 2016
This book is a about the heavy weight boxing champion of the world Muhammad Ali. It gives you main points of his life and what he believed him. It gave you the main point of why he was fighting to be the greatest, he was fighting for the people. The right of African Americans were not valued and he stood up for his people. This book shed a lot of light to the life of Muhammad Ali and what he stood for. It is great inspirational read especially for kids who have a dream. It can motivate a child to be the best they can be as well as not giving up on their dreams.
This is a Biography of his Muhammad Ali's life. This book is authentic partial
biography. It gives you the main points of his life from beginning to somewhat the end(when he stops boxing but not his death). The illustrations are painted with basic colors but the colors are what stands out. The face such as eyes, noses and ect are not detailed but you can see the people in the book do have these features. Sheds light of the background of Muhammad as well as entertaining you with amazing illustrations.
This is a Biography of his Muhammad Ali's life. This book is authentic partial
biography. It gives you the main points of his life from beginning to somewhat the end(when he stops boxing but not his death). The illustrations are painted with basic colors but the colors are what stands out. The face such as eyes, noses and ect are not detailed but you can see the people in the book do have these features. Sheds light of the background of Muhammad as well as entertaining you with amazing illustrations.
April 26, 2016
Muhammad Ali: The People's Champion is a book about the heavy weight boxing champion. The book covers the main points of his life and what he believed in. The book tells of why he fought to be the greatest in the ring. He was fighting for his people. African Americans were not treat and valued the way that everyone else was. He was taking a stand. The book goes on to tell of Muhammad Ali's role in the civil rights movement and what he believed in.
This book is a book readers that are from about third grade and up. While Muhammad Ali may not directly intersect with their lives but at some point or another they will hear about who he is. The facts that are presented in this book are accurate. The book went into depth without over doing it. The book gave readers a good understanding of how Muhammad Ali had an impact on more than just the boxing world without overwhelming them with how much he did.
This book is a book readers that are from about third grade and up. While Muhammad Ali may not directly intersect with their lives but at some point or another they will hear about who he is. The facts that are presented in this book are accurate. The book went into depth without over doing it. The book gave readers a good understanding of how Muhammad Ali had an impact on more than just the boxing world without overwhelming them with how much he did.
October 31, 2013
Word Count: 1,732
Reading Level: 4.7
Interest Level: K-3
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 4.7 / points: 0.5 / quiz: 135203 (02/01/10) / grade: Lower Grades
Reading Counts!: reading level:4.7 / points:2.0
Lexile: AD770L
This biographical fiction on Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr tells the story of the major events inhis life fro his first boxing coach to his heavy weight title winning fight against Sonny Liston. We get the learn intimate details of Ali's life like his childhood nickname "GG." The story goes over the major events in Ali's life like his first Olympic medal and his trip to fight in Africa. The story also talks about the impact he had on the civil rights movement and the petition he had against being drafted as a soldier into the Vietnam war. This book would be great to assign to a student for a biography assignment, or as something to read for black history month.
Reading Level: 4.7
Interest Level: K-3
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 4.7 / points: 0.5 / quiz: 135203 (02/01/10) / grade: Lower Grades
Reading Counts!: reading level:4.7 / points:2.0
Lexile: AD770L
This biographical fiction on Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr tells the story of the major events inhis life fro his first boxing coach to his heavy weight title winning fight against Sonny Liston. We get the learn intimate details of Ali's life like his childhood nickname "GG." The story goes over the major events in Ali's life like his first Olympic medal and his trip to fight in Africa. The story also talks about the impact he had on the civil rights movement and the petition he had against being drafted as a soldier into the Vietnam war. This book would be great to assign to a student for a biography assignment, or as something to read for black history month.
July 11, 2013
Somehow missed this picture book treatment of Ali by Myers. Plan on rereading his YA biography, The Greatest very soon. Loved how he distilled the salient events of a colorful career into picture book format. The illustrations are fluid, frenetic and colorful, much like the boxer himself.
April 18, 2016
A brief picture book biography of Muhammad Ali. I thought it did a great job of explaining Ali's life in terms accessible to kids and the illustrations are beautiful.
June 12, 2020
Covers Muhammad Ali from childhood through him lighting the Olympic torch.
I think that Muhammad Ali: A Champion Is Born focuses more on Ali's childhood, but this book gives more of a sense of Ali's whole career.
I think that Muhammad Ali: A Champion Is Born focuses more on Ali's childhood, but this book gives more of a sense of Ali's whole career.
January 27, 2024
The first time I'd ever heard of Muhammad Ali was when he lit the torch at the Olympics in Atlanta. This biography fleshed out his life a bit more for me. I didn't realize that his case went all the way to the Supreme Court.
February 28, 2018
I really liked this one. The artwork is beautiful. The story is great. But it really focused on the WHOLE man. NOT just that he was a boxer, etc.
May 9, 2010
Walter Dean Meyers presents a concise biography of the life of one of the greatest boxers in history, Muhammad Ali. Ali, born Cassius Clay, first learns to fight in Louisville, KY. He eventually goes on to win an Olympic gold medal and becomes the heavyweight champion of the world. Shortly afterwards, he converts to Islam and opposes the Vietnam War on religious grounds. He then becomes an advocate for African American rights. Along with Meyers’ story, Delinois paints bold depictions of Ali’s life and achievements. While the majority of the book is effective, Ali’s loss to Joe Frazier is depicted very poorly. The other fights give a detailed account of how Ali won, but the loss seems to have been added as an afterthought. Overall, the faults do not detract from the book’s biographical goal, which younger children should enjoy and find reasonably interesting.
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June 18, 2016I don't love the illustration style, but the bright colors and the curving motion of the lines help make it feel very engaging -- and the sets of illustrations in the early pages help convey the passage of time as we move through the early years.
It feels like a quick, somewhat surface, trip through Ali's life (especially having just read Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali ), but it starts with a cute story from his infancy and hits the major moments, including a quote I hadn't found in Twelve Rounds to Glory -- "I am America. I am the part you won't recognize. But get used to me. Black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own; get used to me."
It feels like a quick, somewhat surface, trip through Ali's life (especially having just read Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali ), but it starts with a cute story from his infancy and hits the major moments, including a quote I hadn't found in Twelve Rounds to Glory -- "I am America. I am the part you won't recognize. But get used to me. Black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own; get used to me."
December 31, 2015
A powerful story of Cassius Clay turned Mohammad Ali. I figured it would dwell on his fighting and knew it would have "I'm going to float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" but was delighted to find that it gave equal reverence to his civil rights work too. The quotation "I am America. I am the part you won't recognize. But get used to me. Black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own; get used to me" is as evocative today as it was when it was originally spoken.
End notes provide complete timeline to make those biography reports easier.
End notes provide complete timeline to make those biography reports easier.
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January 16, 2016I have loved this Biography about the famous boxer Muhammad Ali! It talks about his most famous fights. It also talks about his life before he became famous. I found this book interesting. If I had to rate it out of 10 it would be 9.
June 29, 2016
beautiful art
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews