With the approach of the Summer Olympics, books about sports figures will have definite appeal to young readers. A new book about gymnastic star Nadia Comaneci written by Karlin Gray and illustrated by Christine Davenier focuses on Nadia’s early childhood days.
The text depicts Nadia as an energetic girl who was always climbing, jumping and doing cartwheels. Eventually, she begins to train with a gymnastic coach at her school. Bela Karolyi helped mold Nadia into a champion.
The story ends with Nadia’s triumphant performances at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. Nadia won five Olympic medals–three gold, one silver, one bronze. She became the youngest Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics.
The watercolor illustrations picture Nadia in constant motion. In the Afterword, the author provides a chronology of Comaneci’s life and a bibliography for further reading.
This is not an in-depth biography of Comaneci, but a simple, inspiring tale of a young girl who with determination and practice accomplished what no one before or her had done.
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