Game, Set, Match, Champion Arthur Ashe

Product Description A picture book biography of Arthur Ashe, who began playing on segregated courts and went on to become the top tennis player in the world. From the start, Arthur Ashe was an unlikely tennis player. As a young boy in the 1940s, he was small and skinny - and barred from most tennis courts because he was black. Still, Arthur was drawn to the game and began to play wherever he could. With patience, hard work, and humility, Arthur pursued his dream. Defeating player after player, match after match, he blazed a path on the courts, becoming the first African American man to win a Grand Slam tournament. From Booklist Tennis legend Ashe’s life, on and off the court, is the focus of this stirring picture-book biography—for upper-elementary and middle-school readers—which combines a detailed narrative with powerful acrylic paintings. Along with the accounts of athletic accomplishments, Hubbard focuses on Ashe’s personal, dramatic story of a quiet, skinny African American boy who learned to play tennis in a blacks-only park near his home in Richmond, Virginia, in the early 1950s; entered his first tournament at age eight; and became an international star and political activist. The sports details spotlighting Ashe’s famously aggressive “serve-and-volley” style will capture a young audience, as will his triumph as the first African American man to win Wimbledon and his continued political activism, at home and abroad, including his outspoken opposition to apartheid. Diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, Ashe continued to raise funds for research and education about the disease until his death, at age 49. A long afterword, chronology, and bibliography complete this moving portrait. Grades 4-7. --Hazel Rochman Review School Library Journal - Hubbard paints a vivid picture of the challenges the young boy faced in segregated Richmond, VA, of the 1950s. Belford's vibrant acrylics help capture the energy of various games and of Ashe's life in general. Overall, a satisfying tribute to a distinguished athlete. Publishers Weekly -  The trials and achievements of tennis star Arthur Ashe, from his youth in the segregated South to his work fighting apartheid and successes on the court, are illuminated in this crisply written story about facing challenges and following dreams. With the support of his father and his coaches, Ashe became the first African-American winner of Wimbledon and the top-ranked tennis player in the world. Layered with spatters and strong lines, debut illustrator Belford's heavily worked paintings suggest the cloudiness of memory . . . but the matches themselves, glowing with the green of the courts, practically vibrate with energy Kirkus Reviews -  This illustrated biography of sports icon Arthur Ashe follows the trajectory of his remarkable tennis career from his childhood attraction to the sport to his greatest triumph as Wimbledon champion. . . . Hubbard does a creditable job telling his story, particularly in describing tennis matches and Ashe's strategies for winning. She has identified some of the most compelling events from Ashe's past as examples of a complex and influential life, and her focus on Ashe's mental abilities are a balance to his recognized athletic skills. The excellent backmatter includes an afterword, chronology, author's note and bibliography. Booklist -  Tennis legend Ashe's life, on and off the court, is the focus of this stirring picture-book biography--for upper-elementary and middle-school readers--which combines a detailed narrative with powerful acrylic paintings. . . . The sports details spotlighting Ashe's famously aggressive "serve-and-volley" style will capture a young audience, as will his triumph as the first African American man to win Wimbledon and his continued political activism . . . A long afterword, chronology, and bibliography complete this moving portrait. The Rutgers Project on Economics and Children -  The biographical narrative takes its time in describ