From the best-selling author behind My Weird School : a quirky new biography series that casts fresh light on high-interest historic figures. Did you know that Muhammad Ali was so terrified of flying on planes he would bring a parachute? Or that he won the Presidential Medal of Freedom? Bet you didn’t know that he had an official sweat-taster to determine how salty his sweat was after each match! Siblings Paige and Turner do―and they’ve collected some of the most unusual and surprising facts about the legendary boxer and civil rights activist, from his childhood and the spark of his boxing career through his time as heavyweight champion of the world. Narrated by the two spirited siblings and animated by Allison Steinfeld’s upbeat illustrations, Muhammad Ali Was a Chicken! is an authoritative, accessible, and one-of-a-kind biography infused with Dan Gutman’s signature zany sense of humor. Black-and-white spot art
The author of over 80 books in a little over a decade of writing, Dan Gutman has written on topics from computers to baseball. Beginning his freelance career as a nonfiction author dealing mostly with sports for adults and young readers, Gutman has concentrated on juvenile fiction since 1995. His most popular titles include the time-travel sports book Honus and Me and its sequels, and a clutch of baseball books, including The Green Monster from Left Field. From hopeful and very youthful presidential candidates to stunt men, nothing is off limits in Gutman's fertile imagination. As he noted on his author Web site, since writing his first novel, They Came from Centerfield, in 1994, he has been hooked on fiction. "It was fun to write, kids loved it, and I discovered how incredibly rewarding it is to take a blank page and turn it into a WORLD."
Gutman was born in New York City in 1955, but moved to Newark, New Jersey the following year and spent his youth there.
Part of the Wait! WHAT? series. Muhammad Ali seems to be a popular subject as of late. There was Becoming Muhammad Ali in 2020 and this in 2021. Ali would have turned 80 in 2022, so that could be part of the trend. Like Becoming Muhammad Ali, this was well done. At only about 100 pages, it's a short read. With Dan Gutman as the author, it's entertaining. Give this one to kids who want to know more about Muhammad Ali (aka Cassius Clay), fans of Dan Gutman or reluctant readers.
This is the first book in a new series meant to compete against the “Who Was” series. It’s structured as a conversation between a brother and a sister each trying to top the other with interesting facts about the person the subject. It works out really well. This book is informative and has lots of infobits that teachers are normally looking for in school subjects or for reports like who was born on their birthday or what big events happened on that person‘s birthday etc. It’s really well done and a fun read.
Dan Gutman's new approach to biography in this early reader series is AMAZING! Kids will love the silly, not often found facts about Ali. The format of a conversation between brother and sister leaves plenty of white space on thee pages and lots of room for young readers to feel successful in their reading of non-fiction. I think this series could be a serious game changer for non-fiction and biography reading in the early elementary years! Even as an adult, I couldn't stop talking about the fun things I learned in this book, even though I have read plenty of Muhammad Ali biographies.
Dan Gutman's alchemy creates gold for his young fans yet again - this time with a series of non-fiction beginning chapter books about famous people called "Wait! What?". The first two books in the series, Muhammad Ali Was a Chicken? and Albert Einstein Was a Dope?, hit just the right tone to encourage readers to learn more about these two movers and shakers in American History. A book about Amelia Earhart is to come...
Told by siblings Paige and Turner (OK to groan here, as it is the start of the puns and giggles found in the books), readers will learn many fascinating things about the lives of people from the past that are not found in traditional biographies for children. Opening with an introduction to give context to the book's subject and to adjust readers to their bantering point of view, both books jump into a timeline of the subject, cover aspects of each man's youth (with a graphic of other famous people who share the same birthday and trivia about other events that happened on that day in the past). Not written exactly to a formula, chapter 1 covers the subject's timeline and chapter 2 covers their childhood. (Incidentally, both struggled academically in grade school.) Then the rest of the text covers chronological highlights of each subject, highlighting different events for each. Both books end with a strong bibliography of titles for children to read for more traditional information.
Readers of Ali will learn more about boxing, the importance of self-promotion, how he became "The Greatest", why people may change their names, controversies and coincidences in his life, racism he faced, a little about his most famous fights, his battle with Parkinson's, marks he left on our society, and how he went from being vilified into a hero. Who knew that Ali loved his fans and was generous to strangers in need?
Readers of Einstein will learn about his contributions to science and influences on today's technology, his slow rise to fame for his discoveries, that he and his wife escaped Germany as Hitler rose in power, was quite the ladies' man, married his first cousin, made no endorsements during his life, loved music (but not Beethoven), and was a pacifist. Who knew that Einstein had a wicked sense of humor, was initially passed over for the Nobel Prize (ostensibly because he was Jewish), and was incredibly forgetful?
Gutman covers the kinds of fun stuff that can't be found in most biographies, with similar type content as is found in Kathleen Krull's stellar series of collective biographies for older readers, "Lives of" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). He does an admirable job of fleshing each man out, discussing their successes and their failures with equal parts humor and sincerity. This may be some of his best writing - for adults to enjoy and learn, as well as for the intended gr. 2-4 readership. Readers will walk away with a better understanding of what made each man tick and an overarching knowledge of the highs, lows, and influences that drove them to success.
The narrative biography is visually broken up into paragraphs of story told between the two sibs; the text reads aloud smoothly as one paragraph leads right into the other. Black and white illustrations by Allison Steinfeld include charts and diagrams infused with humor, also breaking up the text.
Recommended for beginning chapter book readers in grades 2-4 and for reluctant readers up to grade 6.
Dan Gutman is a well-known author of children’s books and his latest offering is a series of non-fiction reads that take a look at famous faces and reveal some of the more interesting facts and probably lesser-known details about their lives.
You’ve probably heard of the name Muhammad Ali, he was - after all - one of the greatest sporting icons of all time. He was a legend of the boxing ring, he was the man that floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee and liked to remind his opponents that, “His hands can’t hit what his eyes can’t see.” But did you know that he got into boxing after a chance meeting with a part-time boxing instructor, or that he wrote poems about his opponents, or that he refused to join the army and faced the possibility of going to prison?
Siblings Paige and Turner know all sorts of irreverent, bizarre and unusual facts along with a few of the more normal things you need to know about Muhammad Ali and they are delighted to share their knowledge with you. The whole book is filled with facts and the kind of information that kids want to know. I mean, who doesn’t want to know that Ali employed a personal sweat-taster and a private magician. Or that as a child he would ask his brother to throw rocks at him so he could practice not getting hit. Or that he talked down a man who was on the verge of jumping out of the window of a tall building.
Every aspect of Ali’s life is covered, from his childhood and early boxing career, to becoming the greatest and the most hated, to retiring and becoming a hero. Gutman gives a rounded picture of Ali, not just as a boxing megastar, but as a man who divided opinion and whose outspoken views often offended. Readers get to learn about the highs and the lows and the good times and the bad times in the life of one of the most charismatic sportsmen the world has ever known.
The easy to read and chatty conversational style will appeal to many readers and there are plenty of lively illustrations that break up the text. Random facts are peppered throughout and are often presented as lists, including: people who share the same birthday with Ali, famous events that happened on the day he was born, unknown facts about his childhood (as a two-year-old, he threw a cheeky left hook that knocked his mother’s tooth out *disclaimer - I cannot actually confirm that it was a left hook), boxing facts, some of Ali’s wise-cracking quips and famous people with alternate names.
Whilst targeted at children, adults will be fighting to get their hands on this book, there is so much information and good trivia packed into it. I learnt a lot about the life of Muhammad Ali and I thoroughly enjoyed it all.
Ali had plenty of wins in the ring, he used his voice, charm and good looks to score victories outside of the ring, and this entertaining and informative read all about the life of the sporting icon is sure to be a knockout with young readers!
Recommended for 8+.
With thanks to Dan Gutman and Norton Young Readers for the advanced reader copy that was received via NetGalley.
In this new series, well-known children's author Dan Gutman writes about famous people in an appealing way for the young reader. He has created a sibling brother and sister pair who impart bits and bytes about the person in a running dialog, almost like a text thread (although, of course, with more words).
Muhammad Ali was a larger than life figure whose confidence in himself is sure to appeal to children. But of course the author brings to the fore lesser known facts about the famous fighter: that he was afraid of flying, that he agreed to box basketball star Wilt Chamberlain, that he recorded an album. But, hands down, my favorite anecdote is the one about the flight attendant who put Ali in his place!
The text is broken up with illustrations, quotes, comic asides and sidebars that tell the reader more about Ali or about the times he lived in. You learn who else was born on the day he was born, facts about other famous boxers, poems that Ali wrote, and other bits of trivia that round out the necessary information, some of which is cleverly packed into a chapter titled "Stuff Your Teacher Wants You to Know."
Other books in the series present the lives of Albert Einstein and Amelia Earhart. I hope more are planned! These brief and lively biographies are a great way to humanize historical figures for young readers.
Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy. Even for a children's book, adults can surely learn a lot, like I did. This hilarious biography of a famous athlete would be a great addition to any school library. It discusses his personal beliefs, conversion, refusal of the draft, and of course, his career. I really enjoyed Ali's included poetry. I'm not sure how factual the book is since I do not see references cited, but this is an entertaining children's book, so it cannot be bogged down with citations, either. However, in Chapter 9, the statement "Muslims don't believe in life after death" is inaccurate or misleading depending on how you look at it. Muslims don't believe in reincarnation or coming back to THIS life after death, but we do believe in an afterlife. The book also led me to believe that Ali only followed the Nation of Islam, so I think that another edit is needed there. The cartoonish illustrations and dialogue between the speaking characters is excellent. Personally, I really am not into sports, but I really learned a lot and enjoyed reading this.
Another entry in the new "Wait, What?" series that is again entertaining and informative. The people in these books are portrayed with flaws, allowing young readers to see how problems can be overcome on the way to success. The Kindle format is again difficult to read. I would probably opt for a print book for students. A brief bibliography is again provided to encourage further reading. The big plot tease for Ali is salt in his sweat, but the explanation, when it finally arrives, is sorely lacking. I think a brief science lesson about the sweat would have been very valuable here. A missed opportunity, which is why my rating is 4 stars instead of 5. Thanks to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for providing an ARC.
This series of books called "Wait, What" comes up with titles that seem to be counterintuitive. The first book I read in the series called Albert Einstein a dummy. This book called Muhammad Ali a chicken.
And then the book goes on to say the ways that he was a chicken, such as his fear of flying. That doesn't mean he didn't overcome it, but that he had the fear. Yes, he had to fly to get to the Rome Olylmpics which is where he won a gold medal for his boxing.
And while I thought I knew a lot of about him, I found that in reading this that I really didn't know a lot. It is full of humor and really good information that makes him into the well rounded man he was.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
I think this new series of biographies is going to be as popular as The Who was... series. This is not your average biography. It has tons of relevant and random facts about Ali and things that surrounded his life. There is also information about his life as a boxer. The story is told back and forth between two modern kids who act as narrators. Telling the story this way gives it some extra life. I think it would also make this an amazing audiobook.
There are fun and silly illustrations that depict some of these silly facts and some of the life events. This is exactly what I would expect from Dan Gutman and it does not disappoint.
With thanks to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for an early copy in return for an honest review.
I'm always looking for non-fiction titles to add to my classroom library and my students are fans of My Weird School, so I think they'll enjoy this series! An entertaining way to learn more about people of importance. I also like the first chapter which is about things your teacher probably wants you to know...so it covers the basic biographical details. And then gets into interesting tidbits about the person. I think my students will enjoy getting to know more about Muhammad Ali!
Dan Gutman can't miss! This new series offers up fun, fascinating, off-beat facts about well-known people. Highly readable with fun illustrations for the elementary set. I've followed Muhammad Ali my whole life and have read several books about the champ. But I did not know much of what was in this book! I loved learning about the generosity Ali had, giving away his money whenever he saw a need. My students will eat this up.
Gutman is on a campaign to get kids to read and like it! He has a series of stories called “Wait! What?” where the point is to pop in facts that would fascinate kids, like his breakfast when a kid: a quart of milk with 2 raw eggs! Or that he was afraid of flying. I think the author succeeds in his goal. The book is interesting, as well as fun. He has 2 siblings narrate the story, Turner and Paige. There is a bibliography in the back. Recommended!
Interesting middle reader about Cassius Clay/ Muhammad Ali. Cassius Clay talked big to sell more tickets to his fights to ensure that he would make money. He converted to Nation of Islam and with his new faith changed his name to Muhammad Ali. Dan Gutman has written another interesting book for kids.
This is the best book for a classroom read aloud or classroom lobrary. This book talks about all the things that you learn about Albert Einstein in school. Then, the rest of the book goes along with all the things that people do not know about him.
While I'm not all that into boxing (okay, let's be honest, I know nothing about boxing), it was interesting to read about Muhammad Ali. Not my favorite of the Wait! What? series but still a decent middle grade nonfiction book.
**Thank you author and publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review**
I'm always looking for non-fiction titles to add to my classroom library, so I think my students will enjoy this series, too! I think this new series of biographies is going to be as popular as the Who Is/Was... series which are a hit with my students. It has tons of relevant and random facts about Ali and things that surrounded his life. The story of his life is told as a dialogue between two kids who act as narrators. There are fun and silly illustrations that depict some of these silly facts and some of Ali's life events. It is truly Dan Gutman style and it did not disappoint. We will definitely be adding this to our non-fiction section in our classroom library!
I received an electronic ARC from Norton Young Readers through Edelweiss+. I also received a physical ARC from Norton Young Readers. Part of the Wait! What? biography series by Gutman. Readers learn information beyond the general facts in this book about Ali. The two narrators share about his life beyond the boxing ring. Presented as a dialogue between the two young people. Humor and unusual facts are included to show that this hero was human too. Looking forward to more in this series.
This children's nonfiction biography is part of a new biography series by Dan Gutman, who is famous for his "My Weird School" series. This biography is told from alternating bullet pointed view points of the brother/sister team of Paige and Turner. It also contains cartoon styled black and white illustrations. It begins with Muhammad Ali's childhood and goes to his retirement and life after boxing and his struggle with Parkinson's disease. It does a nice job of combining the silly and serious elements of Ali's life. This book is truely geared toward Gutman's "My Weird School" audience of 2nd through 4th graders. The book is only about 100 pages and is less wordy and has more humor incorportated in it than the popular "Who Is/Was" series. Reluctant readers may be drawn to this series or kids who are not usually attracted to nonfiction.
In this entry in Dan Gutman's new "Wait, WHAT?" series, readers are guided by siblings Paige and Turner (get it?), through the use of illustrations, bullet points, and great sidebars ("5 Mean Things Cassius Clay said about Sonny Liston") to explore the life story of Muhammad Ali from young fighter to his conversion to Islam, to his philanthropic works and his final illness. Highly entertaining and fast-paced, this book will appeal to a wide variety of young readers.
What a great new nonfiction series for readers. I loved the back and forth between the two narrators- it automatically chunked the text in a way that is visually easier for readers and gave a conversation instead of an encyclopedia feel. The facts were interesting and kept me hooked to know more. The length was perfect at around 100 pages. The pictures were appealing. I think these are even more approachable than the Who Was series and will be picked up by many readers! #LitReviewCrew
Writing like a script of two siblings sharing facts about Muhammad. All basic life facts are discussed as well as some funny ones. Lots of pictures. Great book to use for a research paper / project.