School Library Journal Starred Review (Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

Gr 1-5 In 1912, the Carlisle Indian School football team defeated Army, the U.S. Military Academy team at West Point. It was an exciting game, which pitted the quick, nimble players from Carlisle against the strong defense of the West Point Cadets. Detailed pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations reveal the excitement of the Carlisle win and Jim Thorpe's athletic prowess, but also show the pain that Native children suffered when they were forced to attend boarding schools where the goal was to strip them of their cultureto change their dress and forbid them to speak their languages or practice their religion. The back matter reveals the more disturbing aspects of this true storythat many children died at the residential schools; that Thorpe had to give up the Olympic medals he won when officials learned that he had played professional baseball; and that Carlisle's famous coach, "Pop" Warner, was fired from Carlisle because of abusive behavior. This book shows that there is much to admire about Jim Thorpe and his career, without whitewashing history. VERDICT A first choice for nonfiction picture book biography collections. Myra Zarnowski, City University of New York

ALA Booklist (Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

Jim Thorpe, one of the greatest athletes in American history, is introduced to young readers in this picture-book biography. Native American Thorpe had a troubled childhood in Indian Territory in what is now Oklahoma. His father, hoping the 16-year-old would settle down, sent him to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania to learn a trade. The author, also Native American, provides a brief history of how schools like these stripped students of their culture. The bulk of the narrative, accompanied by action-packed illustrations, focuses on Thorpe's athletics at Carlisle, where he excelled in many sports. After success at the 1912 Summer Olympics, where he competed in the pentathlon and decathlon in mismatched shoes he found in a trash can and won the first gold medals by an American Indian, he returned to Carlisle for the match of his life. Coulson describes the historic and symbolic significance of the football game between Army and the Carlisle Indians, and Thorpe's role in Carlisle's win. More information on Thorpe, his team, his coach, and Carlisle conclude the insightful biography.

Horn Book (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

At age sixteen, American Indian Jim Thorpe was sent to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania. In spite of adversity, he thrived there as a multi-sport athlete, particularly as the 1912 football team's linchpin in beating--against all odds--West Point's Army team. Straightforward, conversational text and meticulous ink and watercolor art reveal the prowess and importance of this extraordinary athlete. Reading list. Bib., glos.