Muhammad Ali: Champion of the World

by Jonah Winter, François Roca (Illustrator)

In the history of legendary boxers, there was Joe Louis and Sonny Liston . . . and then, “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.” Clay let everyone know that he was the greatest boxer in the world. He converted to the Nation of Islam, refused to be drafted into a war in which he didn’t believe, and boxed his way back to the top after being stripped of his title. The man that came to be known as Muhammad Ali was heard in a voice no one will ever forget.

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

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Jonah Winter is the celebrated author of many picture book biographies, including Barack, which was a New York Times bestseller. His books include Here Comes the Garbage Barge, Sonia Sotomayor, Roberto Clemente, and more. A poet and a painter, Mr. Winter divides his time between Santa Fe and a small town in Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muhammad Ali: Champion of the World is a children's picture book written by Jonah Winter and illustrated by François Roca. 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.

Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.) was an American professional boxer, activist, entertainer, poet, and philanthropist. Nicknamed The Greatest, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated sports and cultural figures of the 20th century.

Winter's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, informative, and lyrical. Winter's 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. A prefatory note gives readers some background and prepares them for the presentation to come. Roca's strikingly realistic oil illustrations pack a powerful punch. His beautiful poster-like oils are built on strong horizontal and vertical lines, the light shining on Ali emphasizing his status as Chosen One.

The premise of the book is rather straightforward. It opens with a brief history of African-American boxers with Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, and Sonny Liston, which segues into Cassius Clay. It shows his brief rise in boxing, showcasing the match between him and Sonny Liston, changing his name to Muhammad Ali, refusing to fight in a war (Vietnam), losing his titles, and returning again.

All in all, Muhammad Ali: Champion of the World is wonderful biography – to the point of being a hagiography, but an effective one nevertheless.

[Licha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great illustrated biography for children. Loved the artwork.

[Lupine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't give a whit about boxing...but I loved this book.

[Jessica Blackmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is BEAUTIFUL. The empowering message brought tears to my eyes as I read it to my boys. The lessons I was able to teach them through the words in this book - about history, about faith, perseverance, grit. This book is an absolute must read.

[Emilie | La prof de français · Rating 4 out of 5]

Les illustrations sont magnifiques!

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This biography of Muhammad Ali by Jonah Winter is a nice start for young kids. Unfortunately, the illustrations by Francois Roca were inconsistent. The cover of the book looks like the Greatest of All Time but most of the other pictures in the book do not!

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be a great picture biography to get elementary aged boys interested in reading. I think it is a great book because it is simple, but it is somewhat rhythmic. The book begins by discussing some famous boxers before Ali. Then, it tells the story of Muhammad Ali and does a great job of highlighting the high points of his career. It is also motivational because it shows children that Ali succeeded even though no one believed in him. I also love that it shows how his style was different from all the other boxers, but he was brave enough to use his own style. The illustrations in this book are awesome. They are large and beautiful, but don't take away from the text at all.
I would use this book in the classroom to teach children about biographies. I would have students do a KWL activity with this story because it is informational. I would probably also have them add the still want to know category to their chart because there is a lot of information that is not covered in the book. I could also use this book for upper elementary students. I would ask them to read this book (or I would read it to the class) and then have them research a historical figure and create their own picture biography. This activity would encompass Language Arts and Social Studies.

[Chad Adams]

Muhammad Ali: Champion of The World was a good and informational book on the championship reign of Muhammad Ali. The book showed a little background on African Americans who were great boxers along with Muhammad Ali to start off the book. The book also went into Muhammad Ali's faith of him being a Muslim. The book gave a small insight on what kind of person he was and how he carried himself. It would be a good book for a kid who wants to be a boxer or trying to teach kids the history of the sport.

The book was a long picture book that was a pretty easy read. The pictures/illustrations went very well with the text in the book and they were very colorful. Ali is a figure in the book that shows kids a strong figure of fighting for what you want because he fought not only in the ring but for what he thought was right by not going to war. This book would also help kids relate to those who are African American who want to get in touch with their heritage like Ali did who went back and fought in Africa to regain his heavy weight title.

[Erica Johnson]

Muhammad Ali: Champion of the World is a biography picture book about the worlds greatest boxer. The story starts with a small introduction of other great boxers such as Sonny Liston and Joe Louis then there was Cassius Clay also known as the the great Muhammad Ali. The biography highlights important moments in his career such as converting to the Nation of Islam, changing his name and his refusal to fight during the Vietnam War. After being stripped of his boxing title the story ends with Muhammad Ali defeating George Foreman in Africa. This fight was known as the "Rumble in the Jungle."

This book emphasizes the quotes said by Ali by bolding them and making them much larger than the rest of the text on the page. This flow of this book almost has a poetic feel. I would recommend this book for children ages 8 and older who have an interest in sports or boxing. This book teaches a small lesson of over coming hardships and striving for the best.

[Stephene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kindergarten-3rd grade (Read aloud)
Roca’s palette of rich browns, blacks and whites produce beautiful images on canvas. His oil paintings tell the story in visual imagery what Winter tells in text. Winter uses simple, yet significant historical references to take the young listener through the story of Ali’s rise to fame in the boxing world. Variations in text size and style catch the eye and encourage the listener/reader to stay with the story until the end. This biography may be somewhat controversial in schools with its religious references, but is a great introduction to biographies for young people. Students will find appeal with the illustrations and dramatic story of this inspiring African American.
Related Content: Language Arts, Social Studies, Art
Lesson Idea: Students will read another biography on Ali and compare and contrast the two books.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice illustrations, and I loved that the author explains in the note about the text that (paraphrasing just a bit) this is a picture book for very young readers and is not comprehensive of Ali's career - rather it focuses on his most inspirational fights - the first match, with Sonny Liston in 1964 and the 'Rumble in the Jungle' against George Foreman in 1974. I like that though presented for young readers, the book does not shy away from the astonishing brashness Ali brought to boxing and to living his life, in general. The author liberally quotes the great 3 time heavyweight champion's poetic challenges - and makes them fit into his own story telling rhythm.

[Roxanne Hsu Feldman · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I really appreciate is the energy carried throughout the text -- short, punchy lines, not shying away from references or allusions to religion, or tough words and sentiments. Although this is not an up-to-date biography of a living legend, it serves as a very good introduction to young people. The choices and designs of the fonts add to the power of the text. The illustrations serve as explanation to the text -- they do not quite expand or deepen the meanings expressed in the text but definitely do not diminish the strength.

[Emilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ali is one of my all time favorite super heroes. My dad is a big sports fan, and I think I first heard about Ali from his stories. I like the brief background knowledge at the beginning of the book, it sets up the story very well. The text touches on key point of the legend. The artwork is quite good, it has the journalistic feel of photographs. I like certain scenes within the larger paintings, but there is something about the illustrations of Ali that doesn't quite grab me.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Does a great job capturing Ali's character and essence. I just think that the book over glorified Ali in calling him a prophet. The Illustrations were really good, again just seemed really biased, but then again we now live in an age where we don't want our sports heros to speak their opinions, so I think things have changed in how athletes interact with the public but then not in some cases with twitter, so...

[April Castle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book shows how Muhammad Ali struggles with society. He conquers by staying strong and speaking out against racism. He stands firm in what he believes and fights his way to victory.

Keywords;
Boxing, African American, Racism, conflict with society, being strong and standing up for your rights

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the illustrations, loved the design and typography. Appreciate that it focussed on small aspects of Ali's life/career. Would really have loved a "See Further" list or chronology to give context for whole life and make a meaningful reference book for kids.

[Kingmarz]

i think this is a good book for children because it teaches them to be confident in themselves and to never give up on themselves.Muhammad Ali book is inspirarional because he spoke out against racism and recited poems about being proud and strong.

[Lars Guthrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sparse text that nevertheless captures the essence of the man and his story. Gorgeous, gorgeous pictures by Francois Roca.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

We already had about 500 books on Muhammad Ali, but I loved the lyrical language in this one so much I bought it.

[Sam Bloom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent illustrations combine with Winter's nice retelling of Ali's life.

[jenna Hudrlik · Rating 5 out of 5]

pretty awesome book

[Michael Huscusson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reign of Cassius Clay was known around the world. This book gives you a great insight on boxers that came before Ali like Sunny Liston. It also goes into his religion and being Muslim, which let to his name change to Muhammad Ali. After refusing to be drafted to the army and being stripped from his title, Ali fought back to the top. This is a name that will never be forgotten.
Classroom Use: This book could be used to teach students about biographies and get students engaged in reading. This book will appeal to students who are interested in sports, being one of the greatest careers in boxing history

[Amanda Walz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book not to be so much a biography as it was about boxing.

[حسناء · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love the book and of course Muhammad Ali as well , and i hope i can read and own all of the writer's works

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked how this was written nice and simple but still got information across. It also has beautiful illustrations.

[Wahyu Awaludin · Rating 5 out of 5]

good introduction about Muhammad Ali. There is one big wrong statement. Author write, "Islam was from Africa". Hmm really, author? Hahaha..

(Black History Month book)

[Saara · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great little introduction to one of my favourite people. It made me want to watch "When We Were Kings" again!

[Jean-Sylvain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Destiné à un jeune public, ce livre explique en quelques images et paragraphes cette légende qui aura marquée son époque et inspirée bien des gens, en particulier la communauté afro-américaine.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome story about Muhammad Ali and his affirmation of being the greatest that inspired him to become The Greatest!
Looking forward to sharing this book with my younger family.

[Krista Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awesome illustrations and I loved the changes in the font - some words or phrases are larger and in bold - didn't love "And God said, "It is time" - and then Ali won his fight - nor the unclear reference that he was "King of Africa" - younger students are going to take that literally.